• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.204-212
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• 2020

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of nebulizer therapy with normal saline on thirst and sore throat among postoperative patients. Methods: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group, pretest-posttest design was used with 50 participants. The experimental group received nebulizer therapy with normal saline every two hours for 10 minutes three times and wet gauze (n= 25), and the control group received only wet gauze (n= 25). Data were collected using the Numeral Rating Scale for Thirst and Sore Throat. Measurements were calculated before applying nebulizer therapy and total five times for 12 hours after treatment. Data were analyzed using the repeated measured ANOVA. Results: Thirst for the experimental group using the nebulizer therapy with normal saline improved more than for the control group (F= 3.06, p= .043). Sore throat was not significantly different between the two groups (F= 0.63, p= .565). Conclusion: Study results indicate that using nebulizer therapy with normal saline can reduced thirst for postoperative patients. So nurses can apply nebulizer therapy with normal saline to reduce thirst and to improve comfort for postoperative patients.