The effect of structured and unstructured pre-operative teaching: a replication

This study conducted an approximate replication of the Lindeman and Van Aernam study (1971) on a sample of 49 patients from a large metropolitan hospital. Factors controlled in this study that were not present in the original study included sample restrictions to patients of three surgeons with similar techniques and to patients having lower or upper abdominal surgery. Structured pre-operative teaching was conducted primarily by the principle investigator and associate and a check list was used to indicate that the patients could perform the deep breathing, coughing, and exercises. For this sample, using p = .05, structured pre-operative instruction improved significantly the ability of the patients to deep breathe and cough post-operatively as measured by pulmonary function tests. Hypothesis I was supported. Structured pre-operative instruction did not reduce significantly the mean length of hospital stay and hypothesis II was not supported.