Day surgery: patients' perceptions of a nurse-led preadmission clinic

Previous research studies have demonstrated that nursing intervention is often lacking in the provision of adequate information and psychological support, and fails to meet the holistic needs of patients in the preassessment for day surgery.

The aim of this study was to elicit patients' perceptions of the preassessment preparation they received prior to day surgery.

A hermeneutic phenomenological research approach was utilized to elucidate the participants' experiences of the preassessment process and to collect data. Qualitative data were collected using face-to-face interviews and analysed thematically following procedures expounded by Colaizzi and van Manen.

The sample included 30 patients undergoing day surgery in a large teaching hospital in the north of England. The day unit built for this purpose consisted of a preassessment unit, a seated preoperative area, three theatres, a six space first stage recovery area, a 24 space second stage recovery area and a separate seated recovery area. The patient groups focused on individuals scheduled for general surgery, gynaecology and urology procedures.

Findings suggest that the nurse-led clinic appeared to function effectively; most patients felt they were adequately assessed and prepared for day surgery. The majority reported receiving comprehensive information about procedures, appreciated health education interventions and had opportunity to ask questions. A few patients pointed to deficits in information giving, indicating that their individual needs were not met, leaving them feeling anxious. Others alluded to problems associated with unexpected cancellation of procedures, which threw them into states of disequilibrium.

The findings indicate that information giving, psychological support and person-centred care could be strengthened in the preassessment preparation of patients undergoing day surgery.