Perceptions of nurses about the competences developed in postoperative care after a liver transplant

Abstract

Objective: discovering the perceptions of nurses concerning the competences developed in liver transplant postoperative care. Methods: qualitative research. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview and systematic non-participative observation, with eight nurses from the unit that received patients immediately after liver transplants. To explain the results, the Content Analysis technique was used. Results: the content found in the interviews was systematized in three thematic axes: preparing the postoperative Intensive Care Unit to receive the liver transplant receptor; actions of nurses concerning the liver transplant receptor in the postoperative Intensive Care Unit; activities related to administration, teaching, and research. Conclusion: the competences developed by the nurses are directed and individualized, involving, in an integrated whole, the administrative, organizational, managerial, healthcare-related, and teaching-research dimensions.

Keywords

• nursing care
• professional competence
• postoperative care
• liver transplantation