Development of Open Heart Surgery Patient Care Protocol and Its Effect on Post-sternotomy Pain

Open heart surgery method is generally used in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Sternotomy is the process of opening the sternum. After sternotomy, individuals experience ongoing pain in the anterior thorax. Despite developing pain methods and treatments, individuals undergoing cardiovascular surgery suffer from pain that cannot be managed well. Patients undergoing cardiac surgery experience severe pain for the first 48 hours and are in intensive care during this period. Pain is the most important stress factor for intensive care patients. The nurse and health care team should play a key role and take an active role in the management and evaluation of pain. However, there are not enough studies trying to define the role of the nurse in the management of postoperative pain. Protocols are used to provide pain management and routine pain assessment in intensive care units. The use of protocols provides maximum care to the patient, while reducing the cost. It also ensures the patient\'s participation in the treatment. While protocols ensure that practices are converted into evidence-based ones, they also prevent disruptions in treatment. As a result, management of the pain experiences of patients with sternotomy who underwent open heart surgery in the intensive care unit with the developed protocol; It will guide the improvement and development of pain management. It is thought that the protocol will address the pain of individuals undergoing open heart surgery in a holistic way. In addition, no study has been found in the literature that includes the development of a protocol for the pain of intensive care patients undergoing open heart surgery. For this reason, it is thought that the study will shed light on the literature by being a resource in the management and improvement of pain.