Orthopaedic splints - innovative nursing procedures

The bachelor thesis deals with the aspects of nursing care of patients with orthopaedic splints. It focuses on all the activities carried out in these patients and how they differ according to various types of fixation. The impact of various types of fixation on patients was examined as well. There are two aims of the thesis: to find out how much the different types of orthopaedic splints affect the physical and mental state of a patient and to map the nursing care of patients with orthopaedic splints. To reach these aims 6 research questions were created: What are the most common used types of orthopaedic splints and why are they used? What is the extent of convenience and comfort of patients with different types of fixation? How is the mental state in patients with orthopaedic splints influenced? What procedures and activities does the nurse's work with different types of orthopaedic splints involve? What problems does the orthopaedic splints causes in providing nursing care? In what ways is the education of patients with orthopaedic splints conducted? The thesis is divided into a theoretical and an empirical part. In the theoretical part it deals with the history of rigid fixation and its division. The empirical part maps the work of nurses in patients with orthopaedic splints as well as the mental and physical state of such patients. To carry out the empirical part the research method of semi-structured interview was chosen. The research group consisted of 8 nurses working at the department of trauma and plastic surgery and of 9 patients with orthopaedic splints. It was found out that nurses taking care of patients with orthopaedic splints must have educational skills and the ability to assist the doctor with applying the fixation. Next, it was proved that the physical and mental state of the patient is not influenced only by the type of fixation but also by the location of the fixation and the patient's age and personality. The results of this thesis can be used in education of registered nurses