Complications (urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction) developing after retropubic radical prostatectomy, which is the most preferred method in the treatment of prostat cancer significantly affect the quality of life in male patients. The aim of this descriptive study was to determine the problems experienced by and requirements of patients performed radical prostatectomy, and to reveal the requirement for the planned discharge education. Thirty-three patients performed radical prostatectomy at the Department of Urology of Gulhane Military Medical Academy between January 2006 and April 2007 and followed 3 to 12 months after operation constituted the universe of the study. The data were collected by surveys performed via either face-to-face or phone contact. The mean age of the patients was 63.19±7.98 years in our study, and 25% and 30.6% of the patients stated that they did not know they would experience urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction after the operation, respectively. It was determined that urinary incontinence continued to persist in 81.9% of the patients, 72.7% of these were stress type, and the social life was adversely affected in 70.4% of the patients because of the urinary incontinence. While 88.9% of the patients defined their ability of erection as weak, 54.2% stated that their sexual lives were adversely affected as the result of erectile dysfunction. In conclusion urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction developing after radical prostatectomy emerge as two significant problems severely affecting the social and sexual lives of the patients that they face problems coping with them.

Keywords: Erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, radical prostatectomy, quality of life