Patient education and the prevention of incisional hernia

Laparoscopic or 'key hole' surgery has become an acceptable technique for abdominal surgery. This technique is utilised by surgeons who work in tertiary hospitals as well as those in private, day only, surgical facilities. Despite the increasing use of this technique in Australia, a paucity of information is available in the journals about the real or potential complications the patient may suffer following this method of surgery. The first author of this paper who works in the operating room practice domain, observed over three years a number of patients readmitted for repair of incisional hernia following abdominal laparoscopic surgery. A review of the international literature and dialogue with operating nurses from institutions in Sydney and Hong Kong confirmed there was enough evidence to warrant examining the complication of incisional hernia as a clinical problem. It would appear from the literature that incidence rate is unknown in Australia. Several reasons may account for this. First, it appears that few surgeons are documenting patient outcomes of laparoscopic surgery, not withstanding the proliferation of its use in the last five years. The second possible reason is the paucity of published information available in the journals, perhaps because the technique is still viewed as relatively new and experimental. This paper outlines a brief history of laparoscopic surgery and some responsibilities nurses have in relation to patient education and the prevention of post-operative complications.