Nursing Plan of Care
The nurse reviews the medical-surgical treatment plan and performs assessments preoperatively and postoperatively especially for wound management. Throughout treatment the nurse reviews the patient's and family's understanding of test results and treatment options. An important nursing consideration is that the surgical phase of treatment is viewed by most patients as an obstacle that must be overcome to get the results they are seeking—that is, successful treatment of breast cancer. Women frequently complain that the time from discovery of an abnormality to the diagnosis is too long. (Brem et al 2011) A part of nursing care is reviewing the impact of diagnosis and treatment on the patient's quality of life.