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The role of nurse as regards the need of alimentation and hydratation of long-term patients
VOTAVOVÁ, Šárka
The need of nourishment and hydration are among the most basic physiological needs. An individual cannot be satisfied without the fulfillment of these needs. A healthy individual eats and drinks according to his needs. However, a long-term ward patient or an old person experiences a decreased need for nutrition and hydration. These patients must therefore be continually offered food and drink. A sick person often feels ashamed to ask favors from others. An unwritten rule states therefore, that a long-term lying patient should be offered a drink every time he is passed by. Here, nurses play an important part. Two aims were settled. (1) Find out how important nurses are to the long-term lying patient and his need of nutrition. (2) Find out how important nurses are to the long-term lying patient and his need of hydration Further, two hypotheses were set: H 1: Nurses take an active part in supplying the need of nutrition of the long-term lying patients. H 2: Nurses take an active part in supplying the need of hydration of the long-term lying patients. A structured questionnaire was chosen as the means of collecting data from nurses, while patients were questioned directly through an inquiry. Nurses included in this work come from long-term wards and elderly wards in České Budějovice, Písek, Strakonice and Horažďovice. The inquiry involved eighty long-term lying patients. It was presumed that the nurses play an irreplaceable part in supplying the patients with nutrition and hydration. These presumptions were inferred by this work. From the obtained results it is clear that nurses are very important for the needs of the patients. The aims and hypotheses were proved by both the nurses and the patients. This does not necessarily mean though, that the care offered to the patient could not be further improved. An active exchange of experience among the nursing establishments, concerning even the easiest issues such as nourishment and hydration in patients is highly recommended. The results of this work were already noticed and required by the head-nurses of wards in hospitals in České Budějovice and Písek.
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