Nurse performance in the patient's discharge guidance after kidney transplant

Abstract

Aims: to describe the discharge guidance given by the nurse to the patient after kidney transplant. Method: this is a qualitative descriptive study. Semi-structured interviews and non-participating systematic observations were performed with three nurses from the renal transplantation service of Curitiba-PR, from July to September of 2010. The speeches were submitted to content analysis, through which three categories emerged. Results: the first category describes the orientations given by the nurse to the patient at discharge. The second category approaches communication aspects as a core competence of this professional for the moment of discharge guidance. The third category deals with the scientific knowledge as a foundation for the discharge guidance of postkidney transplant. Conclusions: the educational practice developed by nurses at the time of post-transplant discharge is based mainly on communication and scientific knowledge.