Nursing Priority – Person-centred care during the perioperative period
Example (this is for crohn’s disease): Person-centred care throughout the perioperative period includes providing social support, providing education, administrating biologic therapies, managing related incontinence, managing fistulae care, supporting diet and nutrition, managing sexuality concerns and anxiety, managing fatigue, managing pain, providing psychological support, and monitoring blood tests (Crohn’s & Colitis Australia, 2018), all of which are fundamental duties of the perioperative registered nurse. One nursing priority that will now be discussed is the importance of creating and evaluating a patient-centred Crohn’s disease diet plan that includes a dietician referral. Patient education regarding diet is vital in the management of Crohn’s disease as Burch (2021) states that some types of foods can often trigger or exacerbate the symptoms of diarrhoea, abdominal cramping/pain, flatus, and bloating, and therefore should be avoided by the patient. Avoidable foods include butter, mayonnaise, margarine, oils, carbonated beverages, coffee, corn, airy products (if lactose intolerant), fatty foods (fried foods), foods high in fibre, gas-producing foods (lentils, beans, legumes, cabbage, broccoli onions), nuts and seeds (peanut butter, other nut butters), raw fruits, raw vegetables, red meat and pork, spicy foods, whole grains, and bran (Burch, 2021; Crohn’s & Colitis Australia, 2018). A low-residual diet should be organised for the patient with continued monitoring of effectiveness of the dietary changes on their bowel habits, and symptoms should be documented by the registered nurse.
Colorectal Bowel cancer:
Below are the three (3) mandatory references to use for this assessment:
Healthdirect. (2020). Bowel cancer (colon and rectal cancer). https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/bowel-cancer
Nurgali, K., & Wildbore, C. (2019). Alterations of digestive function across the lifespan. In J. Craft, & C. Gordon
(Eds.), Understanding pathophysiology (3rd Australian and New Zealand ed., pp. 798-856). Elsevier Australia.
Pallan, A., Dedelaite, M., Mirajkar, N., Newman, P. A., Plowright, J., & Ashraf, S. (2021). Postoperative complications of colorectal cancer. Clinical Radiology, 76(12), 896-970. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crad.2021.06.002 (haven’t used yet)
