Title : Enhancing rehabilitation after orthopedic trauma surgery: Evidence-Based nursing interventions
Abstract:
Objective: To evaluate the effect of evidence-based nursing interventions on post-surgery rehabilitation in upper limb trauma patients.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved 98 patients who had undergone internal fixation surgery due to upper limb fractures. They were randomly divided into a control group, which received standard orthopedic nursing care, and an experimental group subjected to evidence-based nursing interventions. These interventions included the evidence-based selection of nursing measures, the creation of personalized care plans, and the dynamic care quality evaluation. Both groups were provided care for 12 weeks. Assessments of the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DASH) questionnaires, and visual analog scale (VAS), were conducted before and after the care, along with records of fracture healing times and complications.
Results: At the initiation of care, there were no significant differences between the groups regarding gender, age, injury-to-hospital time, surgical method, fracture location, SF-36, DASH, and VAS. After 12 weeks of care, the experimental group showed significant improvements in SF-36, DASH, and VAS compared to the control group. Specifically, the SF-36 score in the experimental group (75.43±5.21) was significantly higher than in the control group (68.32±5.43), with DASH and VAS scores significantly lower in the experimental group (14.23±2.43 and 2.23±0.95) compared to the control group (17.83±4.13 and 3.21±1.12). The experimental group also demonstrated a shorter fracture healing time (9.03±0.82 weeks) and a lower complication rate (2.04%) compared to the control group (10.32±1.53 weeks and 11.22%), with P-values <0.01 for all comparisons.
Conclusion: Evidence-based nursing interventions have shown significant improvements in the quality of life, functional recovery, and pain relief for patients with upper limb fractures, alongside faster fracture healing and lower complication rates. This suggests that implementing evidence-based nursing interventions in post-operative care for patients undergoing internal fixation can significantly enhance patient outcomes.
Keywords: Evidence-based nursing, orthopedic trauma rehabilitation, upper limb fractures
