Patients' Experience and Needs During Perioperative Care: A Focus Group Study

Area of Science:

• Surgical Patient Experience
• Perioperative Care
• Patient-Centered Medicine

Background:

• Limited understanding of patient needs, fears, and perceptions in the perioperative setting.
• Perioperative care encompasses the entire surgical journey, from indication to recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the needs, fears, and experiences of patients undergoing or awaiting surgery under general anesthesia.
• To identify key areas within the perioperative process where patient support is crucial.

Main Methods:

• Two focus groups conducted with adult patients who had undergone or were scheduled for abdominal or gynecological surgery.
• Thematic analysis of audio-recorded discussions to code patient needs and experiences.
• Code co-occurrence analysis using a matrix to identify patterns.

Main Results:

• The immediate postoperative period and the indication of surgery were key focus areas.
• Patients most frequently expressed a need for information at surgery indication, pre-anesthesia clinic, and postoperatively.
• Fears were prominent during surgery indication, waiting periods, anesthesia induction, and the postoperative phase, including after discharge.

Conclusions:

• Patients desire more comprehensive and understandable information and greater involvement in their care.
• Addressing these needs can potentially reduce perioperative fears and anxiety.
• The findings highlight the importance of continued support into the postoperative period and at home.