1College of Nursing, Pusan National University 2College of Nursing, Pusan National University 3Pusan National University Hospital
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a walking-support program on the pulmonary ventilatory functions of elderly people who had undergone upper-abdominal surgery. Method: The study was a quasi-experimental research design. There were 26 partcipants who were admitted for upper-abdominal surgery to P University Hospital in B city. Walking exercise education was provided individually to the experimental group the day before their operation and 20 minutes a day for five days after the surgery using the 'Walking Exercise Guide Document'. Pulmonary ventilatory function was with FVC (Forced Vital Capacity), PEF (Peak Expiratory Flow), FEVI (Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second), FER (Forced Expiratory Ratio), Oxygen Saturation, and VAS (Visual Analog Scale). Results: The objective indexes of pulmonary ventilatory function were not significantly different between the two groups, but the subjective index was significantly different. Conclusion: With the above results, the walking support program could be an effective nursing intervention for improving pulmonary ventilatory function of surgical patients.