Background:

mastectomized patients require individualized attention by the nurses who will offer them the necessary care during their hospital stay and will guide them on the care they should follow when they leave hospitalization, so it is pertinent to explore their level of knowledge on this topic.

Objective:

to determine the level of knowledge of nurses about caring for mastectomized patients at the “Celestino Hernández Robau” University Oncological Hospital.

Methods:

a descriptive study was carried out in the mentioned hospital from September-to December 2018. Theoretical methods were used: analysis-synthesis, induction-deduction and historical-logical; and empirical ones: semi-structured interview with nurses and key informants.

Results:

the level of knowledge of nurses about care for mastectomized patients was adequate, although there are some shortcomings related to self-care items at discharge, in which its orientation is fundamental: the mobilization of drains, cover the affected arm with heat, the return to work, the moderate performance of sports and guide rehabilitation exercises.

Conclusions:

based on these results, the need for training with updated content on specific aspects of self-care is considered, because in addition to being knowledgeable about their profession, these nurses must also be trained as health promoters.

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