Before educating and providing emotional support to patients and their families, you, as the nurse, may need to first deal with your own negative feelings about leech therapy. An open discussion with the nursing staff on your unit may assist in allaying stress and anxiety. Speaking to nurses at other institutions who are more familiar with this treatment can also be helpful. The ordering physician may also be able to provide information and dispel myths about this therapy. 5 Crowd Control Crowd control can become a very real issue for the patient receiving this type of therapy.
Leeches are fascinating creatures and they attract the curious from all over the hospital.
During treatment the nurse must weigh the potential for infection and the patient's right to confidentiality against educating other healthcare workers. Obviously, those personnel coming into direct contact with the patient will need to be educated to safeguard the procedure and prevent them from displaying emotional reactions to the leeches in front of the patient. For those who are simply curious, a brief explanation of the therapy and a quick peek at the leeches in their container outside of the patient's room or a visit to the pharmacy to see the main container should suffice. Leech therapy is an effective means of treating venous congestion or pooling in tissue flap graft sites and reattached digits. While nursing care and management encompasses both the patient and the leeches, remember to keep things in perspective and maintain the patient as the primary focus of your care.