Pre-operative teaching: how does a group of nurses do it?

Studies have revealed that adequate pre-operative instructions alleviate anxiety, increase patient participation in their care and minimize the development of post-operative complications. However, other researches have found that there are discrepancies between nurses' perceptions of patient's pre-operative needs and patients' actual needs. The aim of this study is to gain insight into how a group of surgical ward nurses organize and implement their pre-operative teaching, and the difficulties they have encountered. It explores how a group of surgical ward nurses conduct pre-operative teaching to their patients. It has found that their training, rote learning, and the timing of patient admissions have all affected how participating nurses organize and implement their pre-operative teaching to their patients. This case study acts as an exemplar to other nurses, to stimulate reflection on their own practice.