Development of a Drainage Tube (Jackson-Pratt Drain or Hemovac) Management Protocol

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a drainage tube management protocol for nursing students to enhance their core nursing skills and improve the quality of the nursing practicum.Methods: A drainage tube (Jackson-Pratt drain or Hemovac) management protocol for nursing students was developed in four stages: a preliminary survey (stage 1), establishment of criteria for the implementation of the protocol (stage 2), finalization of the protocol (stage 3), and development of nursing scenarios to implement the developed protocol (stage 4).Results: The final drainage tube management protocol outlined 23 steps, and the scoring system reflected whether each step was fully performed (2), partially performed (1), and not performed (0) for a total possible score of 46. The example nursing scenario was designed to evaluate the process through which nursing students provide care for a postoperative patient with a Jackson-Pratt drain (or Hemovac) with level 1 (fundamentals of nursing practice for sophomores in the first stage).Conclusion: It is important to educate and evaluate nursing students on core nursing skills that must be learned and acquired during their school years, owing to their high frequency of use and importance in nursing practice. To this end, standardized protocols for each core nursing skill should be used to ensure consistent education and evaluation in nursing situations that resemble the clinical setting, in which continual updating of core nursing protocols is required.