Determining the information need for the patients at discharge level to which hip prosthesis have been applied

The research has been performed as descriptivly to determine the information need for the patients at discharge level to which hip prosthesis have been applied. The research has been applied on total 210 patients to which hip prosthesis have been applied in Orthopedy and Traumatology clinics of Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital between the dates of 02/07/2007 and 04/01/2008. The questionnaire prepared by the researcher has been used as data tool. The data have been collected by the meetings of the researcher with the patients. Percentile numbers and chi-square tests have been used to evaluate the data. In this research it has been determined that the patients at the level of discharge do not get enough information related to care at home after hip prosthesis, they need information towards their care at home and nurses take a very small place in discharge training. It is determined that the rate of receiving information of the patients at and under the age of 60 towards pain control, surgical wound care, using medicine, nutrition, security precautions at home, physical activity, exercises, conditions requiring application to the doctor and controls, is higher than the patients at and over the age of 61, and the rate of receiving information of the secondary school and higher school graduates towards surgical wound care, using medicine, nutrition, security precautions at home, physical activity, exercises, conditions requiring application to the doctor and controls is higher than the primary or lower school graduates, the rate of receiving information of male patients towards nutrition and physical activity is higher than female patients, the rate of receiving information of the patients with previous hip prosthesis towards surgical wound care, nutrition, security precautions at home, physical activity, exercises, conditions requiring application to the doctor and controls is high ; and the difference is statistically meaningful. Suggestions have been given for giving planned discharge training to the patients after hip prosthesis and for nurses to perform their role in discharge effectively.Key words: hip prosthesis, discharge training, information need