Não à infeção da ferida cirúrgica!

: Intervenção de enfermagem com cuidadores na comunidade

Abstract

Healthcare-associated infections are characterised by the fact that they are a growing problem worldwide (Programa de Prevenção e Controlo de Infeções e de Resistência aos Antimicrobianos, 2017). More than 200 million surgeries are carried out every year, with complications such as infection sometimes occurring (Parreira & Marques, 2017; Stryja et al., 2020). With the ageing of the population, it is estimated that by 2050, around a fifth of people over the age of 60 will need to be cared for by another person (Noell-Boix et al., 2022). The informal caregiver has therefore taken on a fundamental role in the provision of care and, at home, provides answers to complex procedures, such as wound care (Swartzell et al., 2023). This intervention project was carried out in a Unidade de Saúde Pública in the Lisbon region, targeting the informal caregiver of people with surgical wounds at home. The health planning methodology of Imperatori and Giraldes (1993) was adopted, as well as the health promotion model of Nola Pender (Murdaugh et al., 2019). For the diagnosis of the situation, interviews were conducted with nurses and informal caregivers from the function unit’s partners, gathering information on the needs of caregivers to prevent surgical wound infection in their family members at home. The information was processed and analysed according to Bardin’s content analysis (2022). The featured nursing diagnoses were knowledge, ability, and perception of informal caregiver about caring for people with surgical wounds, which was not demonstrated. The problems were prioritised according to the analysis grid, establishing objectives, targets and activity and impact indicators. The general objective was “To contribute to help empower informal caregivers to prevent surgical wound infections in their family members at home”. Strategies were selected, including education, and various activities were carried out, successfully completing the defined goals and activity indicators. The evaluation concluded that there had been an improvement in the caregiver’s knowledge. Skills were developed and acquired as a Master and Specialist in the area of Enfermagem Comunitária e de Saúde Pública.

Date of Award	26 Jun 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Elisa Maria Bernardo Garcia (Supervisor)