Identifying Constipation Risk in Neurosurgery Patients

Abstract

Background. Preventing constipation is very important for patients in neurosurgery clinics and especially for those who had cerebral hemorrhage and brain tumor surgery as it might lead to elevated intracranial pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to diagnose constipation especially in individuals in neurosurgery clinics.
Aim. This study has been designed as a descriptive and a cross-sectional study intending to identify constipation risk and the factors affecting it in neurosurgery patients.
Material and methods. The population of the study consists of patients who stayed at a university hospital in Turkey between April 2011 and April 2012, and the sample population consists of 231 people selected by random sampling method. Data were collected using a Patient Information Form, Constipation Severity Instrument (CSI) and Constipation Risk Assessment Scale (CRAS). Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 11.5 for Windows.
Results. 55,4% of the patients in the study were women and the average age was 43,80±13,65. CSI Total score average of the patients at admission was low (14,27±11,28). According to CRAS, 14,3% of the patients at admission, 40,7% of the patients on the 3rd day of surgery, and 32,5% of the patients at discharge were in medium and high risk group in terms of constipation. It has been determined that women, old people, people who use analgesics, and people who stay long at a hospital are at higher constipation risk.
Conclusions. As result of the data gathered in the study, it has been concluded that nurses working in neurosurgery clinics should not ignore preoperative and postoperative constipation risk in order to be able to give integrated care. (PNN 2013;2(3):96-103)