A STUDY TO ASSESS THE NURSES’ KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES ABOUT REHABILITATION OF PATIENTS AFTER HEART VALVE SURGERY IN RAJASTHAN

Abstract

Heart valve repair or replacement surgery is a medical procedure for the treatment of moderate structural damage of the heart valves often following rheumatic fever. The surgical treatment of choice for valvular heart disease can be either surgical valve repair or valve replacement when heart valves become floppy and leak. The diseased valve is replaced with either a mechanical (artificial) prosthesis, or biological tissue valve. Although heart valve surgery may improve the patients’ quality of life, it is associated with potential complications, such as thrombo-embolism, bleeding, and endocarditis, to mention a few (Harris, Croe & Cao 2015). Nonetheless, depending on the risks and potential complications involved from heart valve repair and replacement surgeries, patients are expected to regain a normal life and health. Therefore, there is a need for a comprehensive, medically supervised interventions of a long-term cardiac rehabilitation programme, for patients after surgical interventions to improve their physical function, prevent potential complications, and thereby improve patients’ quality of life. The core component of cardiac rehabilitation after heart valve surgery includes medical evaluation or patient assessment, prescribed physical activity and exercise, training, cardiac risk factor modification, diet and nutritional counselling, smoking cessation, and psychological counselling and management, which are implemented in four phases As members of a multidisciplinary team for cardiac rehabilitation, nurses play a significant role in the implementation of cardiac rehabilitation and should do so based on adequate knowledge, positive attitudes, and efficient practice for the implementation of the core components for the phases of cardiac rehabilitation for them to deliver quality nursing care to patients. A cardiac rehabilitation programme is a medically supervised intervention to assist patients in recovery after heart surgeries and to prevent potential complications. Nurses should have the knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practices to improve patient quality of life during the recovery process.