Zuleyha Simsek Yaban
Urinary retention is a problem, which is seen prevalently after an anesthesia or a surgical intervention. Defining PUR (Postoperative Urinary Retention) becomes a challenging problem due to the lacking of a universal urinary retention definition and the differences between diagnostic criteria. The common point among PUR definitions is being not able to urinate while having a full urinary bladder.
Nurses have important responsibilities in sustaining the functions of the patients including the excretion. These responsibilities might be expressed as; determining risky groups, preventing postoperative urinary retention development, early realization and when developed, managing the urinary retention by using appropriate nursing attempts. It is expected from the nurses to do these responsibilities with a systematic approach and providing a care in cooperation with the doctor. This kind of approach is very important in shortening the time the patient spent in the hospital, increasing the comfort/satisfaction of the patients, preventing complications, avoiding unnecessary usage of analgesics and increasing the quality of life.
