Knowledge of nursing professionals on self-care of people with head and neck cancer with clinical care complexity

Abstract

Introduction: The characterization of nurses' knowledge about self-care is necessary to improve the autonomy of people with head and neck cancer.

Objective: To characterize the knowledge of nursing professionals about the self-care of people with head and neck cancer with clinical care complexity.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the National Institute of Oncology and Radiobiology and the Moncada and Vedado Polyclinics, Plaza de la Revolución, Havana, Cuba, during 2022. The population consisted of 14 nurses from the head and neck service and 8 who care for people with head and neck cancer from the polyclinics included in the study. Socio-occupational variables and knowledge about self-care were studied. The data were obtained with a survey designed by the author and validated by specialists. For data analysis, absolute and relative frequency distributions (mean, percentage) were performed.

Results: 100.00% of the population studied in the head and neck service presented adequate knowledge about the importance of self-care, different results obtained by 25.00% of the nurses in the doctor's offices and the family nurse.

Conclusions: The nursing professionals studied present intended socio-occupational characteristics, beyond their professional level and training received, they show knowledge needs about Dorothea Orem's theory of self-care and the benefit of its link with the care practice for the self-care of people operated on for head and neck cancer with clinical care complexity.