Nursing Activities
Surgical Nursing
Nearly 4430 major and 4500 minor surgeries have taken place during the year 2000. Around 128 nurses work in surgical oncology division. Like many other departments the surgical unit functions at a stress point. There are 13 theatres working for 8 hrs. perday. Immediate post-operative nursing involves tremendous skill and efficiency. Comprehensive nursing care is aimed at while nursing the patients.
Operating room nurses and intensive care nurses need high level of technicality and efficacy to meet emergencies and to be at par with technology. Nurses are encouraged to pursue specialization in critical care and operating room. Clinical surgical nursing focuses on observation, prioritization of needs and implementing it.
The Infection Control Nurse carries out lot of work concerning infection control policies and matters.
One of the commendable works at Tata Memorial Hospital is the hydroclave used for the waste management. Tata Memorial Hospital is the pioneer for introduction of this system in Asia. It is Eco-friendly. It is a sophisticated autoclave which works under high-pressure steam. Hydrolysis technique is the core part where waste is dehydrated thereby infection rate and the volume is reduced to 80%. It is presently the unique system for the waste management.
Medical Oncology
This department comprises of chemotherapy wards of both adult and paediatric day care centres, central venous catheter clinics and outpatient’s CT injection rooms and BMT. Around 80 nurses work round the clock. Immunosuppression being the major toxicity, handling patients especially paediatric is often a challenging job for the nurses.
Continuous monitoring for bleeding, prevention of infection, counselling throughout the hospitalization and thereafter, referring to various other services all play a major core of the job. Periodical collection of specimens, interpretation of the investigations, right formulas of feeding, advocation of infusions forms the basic work of this department.
At Tata Memorial Hospital, Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) unit was started in 1983 and now shifted to ACTREC. Nursing BMT patient is a challenging task which aims at preventing the graft rejection and immunosuppression.
Long term central vascular access is a major problem of patients of malignancy on antineoplastic drugs. Meticulous nursing care improves the efficacy of the stay of the catheter for a year or more.
Palliative Care
Palliative care nursing has taken a great leap. Initially palliative care was started with only indoor patients. This facility has been extended to the community since 1999.
The nurse plays a key role as a co-ordinator and a member of the palliative team. during her family visits, nurse stresses more on symptom control and pain management.
Radiation Nursing
Tele and Brachy therapy involves great deal of care. Nursing staff deals in counseling the patient such as the disease, treatment, duration, cost, accommodation etc.
There are 22 nurses working in the department. Nurses play an important aspect of education on the effects and the expected side effects and managing these side effects.
Preventive Oncology Nursing
Nurses are involved in early detection and screening programmes for cervical, Breast, Head and neck cancers.
They are involved in Colposcopy, Cryosurgery and other investigations. Regular camps are held in and out of the institution where nurses play an important role.