Abstract
Nursing care for patients of a chronic period in the recuperation ward is different from that of an acute period, in respect that i) it takes longer time to get the outcome of caring on the patients, ii) not only nurses but also care workers participate in caring, and that iii) assistance for activities of daily living is the main business for nurses and care workers. Considering such differences, we have designed a critical path specifying the nursing care in the recuperation ward and analyzed its usefulness.
Critical path consisted of two parts; i) The over-view-path specifying the long plan from admission to discharge and ii) the all-in-one-path including nursing record, vital signs, doctor's instructions, and treatment. In the latter path, the short (weekly or daily) plan correlating the long plan was clearly stated. Furthermore, in order to shorten the time for recording at the desk and to share the information among nurses and care workers, traditional record in SOAP-style was not used but checking lists of the points correlating the care plan were adopted. In nine patients of disuse syndrome caused by cerebral vascular disease in the recuperation ward of YMC (male=4, female=5, 77.3±4.7 y.o.), the acquirement of the abilities relating daily living was analyzed a month after the introduction of critical path. Significant improvement was detected in oral eating, neck contracture, and spontaneous speaking, with no effect on abilities of excreting and transfer.
This critical path had effect on recover of the abilities relating daily living in patients, as well as it shortened the time of recording at the desk for nurses and care workers.
