What are “drainage straps”?

  Many breast cancer patients need to place chest or axillary drains after surgery. In the past, the drainage bottle would be fixed to the hem of the blouse through pins, which not only affects the aesthetics, but also brings inconvenience to the patients’ daily life due to the increased weight of the drainage bottle body and drainage fluid. Recently, the medical and nursing staff of the breast department actively opened their brains in their work and invented new drainage straps to bring convenience to patients.  In order to further improve the inconvenience of post-operative drainage for mammography patients, the mammography medical and nursing team proposed a systematic improvement of the drainage device to the manufacturer of the drainage bottle. After several consultations with the supplier, the manufacturer provided a blue non-woven bag with one transparent side to monitor the drainage flow and the other opaque side to facilitate the protection of patients’ privacy. On the eve of Spring Festival, the patient also got a new drainage bag, but since the shoulder strap of the bag was too long, the clinic staff opened their brains again and changed the original long shoulder strap into 2 short and sharp hand-held straps and a crossbody strap, so that the patient could hang it by the bedside when lying down and carry it on the shoulder when moving, which greatly facilitated the patient. Wang Hui, head nurse of the mammary department, learned during the actual nursing operation that the shoulder strap of the drainage bag was too long, which was not convenient for the patient to be fixed at the bedside while lying down, and the long shoulder strap was not conducive to carrying when moving, so she took advantage of the New Year break to redesign and reformulate the shoulder strap of the drainage bag to make it more convenient and smooth for the patient to use on the basis of the original beauty.  With the advancement of technology and concepts, the content, quality and requirements of nursing care are constantly being improved, but the concept of “caring” has always been the core of nursing care values. The design and cutting of the drainage bag straps is a small act, but it is the glimpse of the concept of nursing care in practice, and it is a practical thing to improve the quality of patient service. With the refinement and specialization of work, oncology nurses are assuming more and more important roles in the treatment process of breast cancer patients, such as breast cancer prevention and treatment education, postoperative rehabilitation exercise, postoperative care and follow-up. The development of oncology nurses meets the requirements of the concept of “total management” and “humanistic care” in the field of oncology treatment.  We hope that this kind of medical and nursing services can bring better medical experience to patients and improve their quality of life.