Patients' Perspectives on Relatives in the Perioperative Setting: A Danish Study

Surgical patients may have doubts about bringing relatives into the perioperative setting because they are unfamiliar with the environment and rules. This study aims to investigate patients' experiences with relatives' participation in this context. We conducted 15 semistructured interviews with surgical patients and analyzed data according to Kvale and Brinkmann's meaning condensation. We found that patients believe they do not have tailored information to prepare themselves and their relatives for surgery. They believe that their individual information is not transferred between health care workers, making them feel unsafe and confused; that control reduces anxiety; and that cooperation among everyone involved in their care creates coherence. We concluded that a collaborative trialogue involving the patient, relatives, and health care workers may benefit all involved. In cooperation, patients can make individual choices about their care, relatives can understand their role and opportunities, and health care workers can tailor the care they provide.