Congress Abstracts 2005

88

HANDS-ON EDUCATIONAL APPROACH TO IMPROVE COGNITION IN CANCER PATIENTS. Rosanne Arlington, RN, MSN, CNS, OCN^®, Mercy Cherian, BSN, OCN^®, and JoAnn Mick, RN, MSN, AOCN^®, MBA, U.T. M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.

Cognitive impairment can be a major impediment to oncology patients’ education and successful return to the home environment. Patients often are insecure about their ability to care for and made decisions about the use of urinary drainage devices. Oncology nurses have a unique opportunity to provide education in a format that optimizes the patient’s educational experience.

The purpose of this project was to develop an educational program to effectively address the educational needs of oncology patients with potential cognitive impairment who undergo surgical urologic procedures and return home with a urinary drainage device.

The intervention included development of a “hands on” educational experience that specifically addressed cognitive impairment by emphasizing active, repetitive demonstration of techniques by nursing personnel then return demonstration by patients and caregivers using a life-size mannequin, models, and supplies that would be used at home. All members of the team worked together to assure that the skills demonstrated in the classroom were demonstrated again with the patient’s equipment to support the patient and caregiver, to reinforce their knowledge and skill, to provide an opportunity to ask questions in a supportive environment, to demonstrate their mutual ability to adequately provide care and make decisions, and to help them begin to develop a concrete plan for care after discharge. A video and an educational handout were distributed to reinforce the information.

The knowledge, ability, and confidence of patients and family caregivers (n = 155) were measured by a questionnaire at the conclusion of the program, by the demonstration of their ability to perform the tasks required to appropriately care for the urinary drainage devices in both the classroom and bedside settings, by verbal comments about their knowledge and security, and by a dramatic, documented reduction of calls to the clinic after discharge.

The patients and caregivers reported increased confidence, knowledge, and ability to be involved in self-care throughout the hospital stay. This “hands on” educational model is an effective, time-efficient way for oncology nurses to help patients and caregivers gain increased confidence, knowledge, manual dexterity, and ability to safely provide care once they return home.