OBJECTIVE: To find out what patients' attitudes were to wound care after abdominal operations to ensure that patients' own views were not violated by introducing a new method of wound care. DESIGN: Randomised study. SETTING:University hospital, Sweden. PATIENTS: 68 consecutive patients operated for benign gastrointestinal disease. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomised to have their abdominal wounds dressed or exposed. On their last day in hospital their attitudes were assessed by visual analogue score and questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attitudes to wound care. RESULTS: There were no differences between the two groups in any of the variables studied. The visual analogue scores for postoperative pain were higher than had been anticipated. CONCLUSION: Most patients do not mind whether their wounds are covered with a dressing or not after abdominal operations.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To find out what patients' attitudes were to wound care after abdominal operations to ensure that patients' own views were not violated by introducing a new method of wound care. DESIGN: Randomised study. SETTING: University hospital, Sweden. PATIENTS: 68 consecutive patients operated for benign gastrointestinal disease. INTERVENTIONS:Patients were randomised to have their abdominal wounds dressed or exposed. On their last day in hospital their attitudes were assessed by visual analogue score and questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Attitudes to wound care. RESULTS: There were no differences between the two groups in any of the variables studied. The visual analogue scores for postoperative pain were higher than had been anticipated. CONCLUSION: Most patients do not mind whether their wounds are covered with a dressing or not after abdominal operations.
Authors: Jo C Dumville; Trish A Gray; Catherine J Walter; Catherine A Sharp; Tamara Page; Rhiannon Macefield; Natalie Blencowe; Thomas Kg Milne; Barnaby C Reeves; Jane Blazeby Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2016-12-20