Educational Intervention for Nutrition Education in Patients Attending an Outpatient Wound Care Clinic: A Feasibility Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1-2016

School

Professional Nursing Practice

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether nurses could use a structured intervention to educate patients with wounds about foods that promote healing and whether this educational intervention could be provided in a cost-effective manner.

SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The study was conducted at an outpatient wound care center located on a hospital campus in the Southern United States; 3 full-time nurses and 2 nurses employed on part-time status delivered the intervention.

METHODS: A nutrition education intervention was developed through collaborative efforts of a registered dietitian and a nurse. A cross-sectional survey design was used to (1) evaluate nurses' perceptions of the intervention and (2) identify barriers to implementation of the intervention. Direct costs related to materials and nursing time required to deliver the intervention were calculated.

RESULTS: Participants indicated they were competent to deliver the structured intervention, and all were willing to continue its use. Survey results indicated that nurses believed the intervention was beneficial to their patients and they indicated that patients were responsive to the intervention. The intervention was found to be low cost ($8.00 per teaching session); no barriers to implementation of the intervention were identified.

CONCLUSION: The results of this exploratory study suggest that a structured nutrition education intervention can be provided by nurses in outpatient wound clinics at low cost. Further study is needed to determine the impact of this intervention on nutritional intake and wound healin

Publication Title

Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing

Volume

43

Issue

4

First Page

365

Last Page

368

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