Nursing outcome in patients with cleft lip and palate who underwent operation: follow-up cases.

BACKGROUND

Cleft lip and cleft palate are the most common craniofacial anomalies affecting approximately 2.5 of every 1,000 children born in North East of Thailand. Srinagarind Hospital has 150-200 cases of cleft lip and palate each year. The lengthy treatment process of care, requires continuity of care involving a multidisciplinary team. The holistic and interdisciplinary care is very important to patients, family, health care professionals and the health care system. After operation patients stay in hospital about 2-3 days, during this time they will receive information regarding how to take care of the wound,feeding and details about activities to avoid. Before patients leave hospital the nurse will confirm if parents can take care of patients wound, feeding, know about avoiding activities. The Nurses or health care professional can check patients progress again when they come back to hospital for follow-up.

OBJECTIVE

To promote continuity care and resolve any problems for developing quality of care.

MATERIAL AND METHOD: The present study is retrospective descriptive study. Data was collected from follow-up case forms using 205 medical records of patients with cleft lip and palate who were admitted in 3c ward Srinagarind Hospital between June 2010 to May 2011. The records were purposively selected for the study and recorded with a data collection form.

RESULTS

95.12% of patients with cleft lip and palate came back for follow-up. 2.44% of patients had wound infection. 7.69% of patients have flap separation. The authors also found that some care givers could not take care of the patients correctly and were not concerned about follow-up.

CONCLUSION

To contracts the patients and family when they visit hospital for follow-up can make health care professional ensure the patients understand what they need to know and do, also can find any uncomfortable points/problem of patients/ family then can develop the strategies or system to solve the problem.