Patients' perceptions of a pre-admission clinic

Patients' perceptions of a pre-admission clinic in an orthopaedic hospital were explored. The clinic was developed as a collaborative initiative between nursing and medical staff.

The methodological approach to this study was inductive and informed by grounded theory. Data was collected using unstructured interviews and analysed using constant comparative analysis.

The clinic appeared to relieve patients' anxiety, however, the way in which it did so was complex. Patients thought they were given factual information relating to surgery in the clinic and this was conceptualized as 'given information'. Patients also told of certain experiences in the clinic, which included the caring environment, individualized care and efficiency. These experiences were powerful tools in giving information to patients and are conceptualized as 'experienced information'.

Both 'experienced information' and 'given information' were important in relieving anxiety. Coping styles of patients differed. Individual patients selected from the clinic what they found useful in terms of 'given information' and 'experienced information' in accordance with their individual coping styles.