Determination of Post-operative Urinary Retention Knowledge Levels of Nurses Working in Surgical Clinics

Abstract

To determine surgical nurses' post-operative urinary retention information status. The study was conducted as a descriptive study with 273 nurses working in the surgical clinics of a city hospital in Türkiye who volunteered to participate between 15 September and 1 November 2022. The first part of the two-part data collection form included descriptive characteristics of the nurses, and the second part included 20 five-option multiple-choice questions measuring nurses' knowledge about POUR. Data were analysed using the SPSS 22.0 package programme, including percentage distribution, standard tests, Shapiro–Wilks, Mann–Whitney, Kruskal–Wallis variance tests and chi-squared tests. Statistical significance was accepted at p < 0.05. The study found that 26.7% of surgical nurses had previously received training on post-operative urinary retention, 52.7% had previously encountered a patient with post-operative urinary retention and 36.6% had resolved this problem with bladder catheterization. Furthermore, the median knowledge score of surgical nurses regarding post-operative urinary retention was 40 out of 100; this score was found to increase with age, gender, and length of professional experience (p < 0.05). In the study, surgical nurses' post-operative urinary retention knowledge score was below average. Improvements should be made to nurses' professional knowledge and the scientific evidence supporting urinary retention, a serious post-operative complication.