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The Lived Perioperative Experience of Ambulatory Surgery Patients
Author(s) -
Costa Mary Jane
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/s0001-2092(06)61505-6
Subject(s) - ambulatory , perioperative , perioperative nursing , medicine , lived experience , general surgery , ambulatory care , surgery , nursing , emergency medicine , health care , psychology , psychotherapist , economics , economic growth
Understanding patients' perspectives is central to providing appropriate nursing care. The purpose of this study was to explore ambulatory surgery patients' perceptions and views of the perioperative experience. A phenomenological study was conducted that included 16 patients who underwent abdominal surgical procedures in the ambulatory surgery center of a large teaching hospital in the northeastern United States. Intensive semistructured interviews were used to collect data. Patients were interviewed one week after surgery. Data analysis was aimed at gaining understanding of the lived experience of ambulatory surgery patients. Themes identified included fear, knowing, and presence. Results indicate that patients in this study were not prepared adequately for the perioperative experience, suffered needlessly due to inadequate pain management, and did not achieve discharge readiness. AORN J 74 (Dec 2001) 874‐881.