Abstract
Aim: This study identified the presence and duration of postoperative urinary symptoms, as well as the coping strategies used to deal with these symptoms using a sample of 12 postoperative patients with radical hysterectomy and 10 postoperative patients with modified radical hysterectomy.
Method: A semi-structured interview was conducted with each patient, and interview data were used to categorize postoperative urinary symptoms and coping strategies. The duration of these symptoms was demonstrated with reference to the contents, frequency, and pattern of these symptoms.
Results: The urinary symptoms experienced by the patients were classified into three types: urge to micturate (e.g., lack of or insensitivity to the urge to urinate or physical sensations, such as bladder distention); urination (e.g., dysuria, difficulty starting, stopping the stream, prolonged urination, or residual urine); and others. The symptoms related to the urge to micturate and urination passed with time. However, the symptoms for patients with radical hysterectomy persisted longer than those for patients with modified radical hysterectomy even after normal urinary patterns were reestablished. Coping strategies such as scheduling time to urinate and applying abdominal pressure when urinating were used;however some strategies required caution because of the potential for complications.
Conclusions: Although the standard of care was to assist all patients with urinary symptoms to reestablish normal urinary patterns, the results suggested that postoperative patients with radical hysterectomy would need adequate, specific, and ongoing nursing interventions even after normal urinary patterns were reestablished.
