The Nurse´s Role in Care of a Patient with Hyperactive Bladder Syndrome

The overactive bladder syndrome is a common disease that does not occur only in women, but it is almost equally common in men. The incidence is 17% in women and 16% in men in Europe and the United States. Despite its high incidence, only a small proportion of patients suffering from this problem visit their physicians. They try to cope with the symptoms of the disease alone. Embarrassment may be the reason of this. It is also caused by worries to inform other people about one?s intimate problems. Therefore, the overactive bladder has a negative impact on the quality of life of individuals and, in some cases, it can lead to social isolation. This thesis consists of two parts. It has a theoretical part and a practical part. The following objectives were set in the practical part. The first objective was to map the specific aspects of nursing care for patients with the overactive bladder syndrome. The second objective was to define the most frequent problems in the nursing care for such patients. The third objective was directed at mapping the knowledge of the nurses at urology departments of the overactive bladder syndrome. Research questions and hypotheses were set for these objectives. The first research question was: What are the specific aspects of nursing care for patients with the overactive bladder syndrome? The second one was: Do patients have enough information about the overactive bladder syndrome? The third research question focused on whether patients are afraid to talk with their physicians about their problems. The hypotheses set were as follows. H1: Nurses at urology departments have sufficient knowledge of the overactive bladder syndrome and H2: Nurses provide information on the regime measures to patients with the overactive bladder syndrome. Both the hypotheses were confirmed by the research carried out. To achieve the set objectives, a semi-structured interview was prepared for patients with the overactive bladder syndrome and a questionnaire was compiled for nurses at urology departments. The responses received through the interviews have been processed in the form of case reports. The results of the questionnaire survey were recorded in charts. The output from this thesis is an information leaflet created for patients with the overactive bladder syndrome and a system of nursing diagnoses. This will serve the nurses at urology departments