Experiences of nurses in exploring and managing preoperative anxiety and information needs of patients at district hospitals in Ashanti region, Ghana

Abstract

Background : Experiences of nurses in exploring and managing the information needs of patients who are scheduled to undergo surgery show that patients develop anxiety, which makes the procedure uneasy and complicated due to changes in some physical symptoms, such as blood pressure, and psychological symptoms, such as sleeplessness and irritability. Nurses working in surgical wards should be able to detect anxious patients and determine the factors causing anxiety. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of nurses in exploring and managing the preoperative anxiety and information needs of patients at district hospitals in Ashanti Region, Ghana. Methods : This study was conducted at five district hospitals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Exploratory design was used to explore the experiences of nurses in exploring and managing preoperative anxiety and information needs of patients. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit 11 participants for the study. Three of them were recruited from one district hospital, while two each were from the remaining four district hospitals. All the interviews were audio-recorded with permission from the participants and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was performed via thematic analysis. Findings : The study revealed three themes: preoperative patient display, assessment of patients’ preoperative anxiety and information needs and providing needed information. Conclusion : Nurses should avoid relying solely on their previous experiences and perceptions and instead focus on providing patients with the specific information necessary to alleviate preoperative anxiety.