Course Description
Post surgical care is the care the patient receives after a surgical procedure. The type of care the patient would require of course would depend on the type of surgical procedure the patient had. The patient who had a procedure like removal of the gallbladder will have a very different care plan from a patient who had knee replacement. The plan of care is also different from each patient as other patients may have chronic conditions that can affect their recovery. There are however many elements common in many surgeries. Almost all will involve pain. Many procedures will result in some kind of wound. Many will involve some kind of temporary limit of function. Risk for infection is always a concern. This course will discuss all these common elements in post surgical care.
Learning Objectives
- Acknowledge that the plan of care for each patient may be different depending on the type of surgery and whether or not the patient has chronic health issues.
- List possible post surgical issues that the patient should consider and ask the surgical team before consenting to the procedure.
- Acknowledge that minimally invasive procedures in outpatient surgery settings usually means faster recovery for the patient.
- Recognize that extensive surgeries with large open incisions or on patients that are chronically ill would likely have to be done in the inpatient hospital setting.
- List most common elements in post surgical care.
- Recognize that post surgical bleed will be an emergency and require immediate care.
- Recognize that some surgeries that result in permanent loss of function may have debilitating and psychological effects on the patient.