Assessing needs of patients and families during the perioperative period at King Abdullah Medical City

Abstract

Background: This paper explores elective surgery patients' and family members' needs during the perioperative period, in a specialized hospital in Saudi Arabia. Needs are influenced by context and could differ from a setting to another. Methods: Two questionnaires, one for the patient group and the other for the family member group, were adopted from a previous similar study. The participants were asked to rate the importance of each need and how much it was satisfied. Data were collected in 5 weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the average rate and standard deviation of each item. Results: Patients highly rated the need for adequate symptom management in the recovery area. Family members highly rated the importance of being informed if the surgical procedure is taking more time than expected and communicating with the surgeon after the procedure. Conclusion: Systematically involving the family member in the perioperative care of the patient is advantageous. However, interventions and extent of involvement of the family member to the care of the patient would have to be adapted according to the cultural context.

Nursing intervention to meet the family members’ needs during the surgery waiting time

“…During the surgery waiting period, the family members must be informed as to whether the procedure is demanding more time than the expected and offered the possibility of communicating with the surgeon after the procedure ( 3 ) . In turn, the uneasy situation becomes one of the main barriers to learning and, as time progresses ( 4 ) and the family remains unaware of what is happening to the patient, these fears are increased, the family members’ need for information is high ( 5 ) , and many family members can feel dissatisfied with the support and information received ( 6 ) .…”

“…In addition, it is advantageous to systematically involve the family members in the patients’ peri-operative care. Nevertheless, the interventions and the involvement degree of the family member in the patient’s care must be adapted to the cultural context ( 11 ) .…”