The meaning of hydratation old people from the perspective of nurses

The aim of the bachelor work is to fulfill the following: 1. to research the nurses´knowledge of seniors´ hydratation, 2. to research the nurses´procedure of monitoring the seniors´hydratation and 3. to research the nurses´role in seniors´care concerning hydratation. To achieve the aims mentioned there have been seven research questions to be answered: What is the nurses´ knowledge in the field of hydratation?, How do nurses keep their knowledge and how do they extend it? Are there any significant differences as for maintaining and upgrading knowledge regarding hydratation among nurses of individual units? What are the hydratation signs nurses monitor and evaluate? Are there any differences as for the seniors´hydration procedures among nurses of individual units? What interventions concerning seniors´ hydratation care do nurses carry out? And How do nurses perceive their part of care connected with seniors´liquid intake? To get valuable information for the empiric part of the work there has been carried out a qualitative research method for which a semi-structured dialogue has been used.This dialogue included 22 open questions which were completed by follow-up questions if necessary, see the attachment 1.The questions were aimed at the following: what do nurses monitor while taking care of seniors in danger of hydratation, what are the key interventions the nurses carry out but also if they are being educated in this field and how important do they consider their part. The respondents were 6 general nurses who provide care for geriatric patients endangered by dehydratation. To analyse the research results the method of open coding, pencil-paper, was used. For better orientation the research results have been put into four main categories and several sub-categories. These logically created categories were set to deal with individual hydratation issues from the nurses´point of view, complexly, taking wider circumstances into consideration including nurses´education and their personal opinions on this topic.Thank to opinions of the general nurses, the most competent ones, the work´s results provide us with a complex view on the matter and that is why it can be used as the source of information not only for students, hospital attendants and nurses but also for common people who look after a senior at home and that is why they are highly interested in this issue