Preoperative Patient Education: Perceptions and Actual Practice among Nurses Working in Surgical Units

Abstract

Introduction Preoperative education is an essential nursing task that can be affected by the nurses’ perception. Patients may be receiving insufficient vital information before surgery. However, the essential information that should be provided to patients undergoing surgery is not fully addressed. Objective To assess the essential elements of preoperative information as perceived by the surgical nurses. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. A convenience sample of 224 registered nurses who were working at surgical units was recruited from two hospitals. A preoperative teaching questionnaire was used. Results Details about the operation (4.39 ± 0.61) and preoperative preparation (4.36 ± 0.61) were the most important domains of preoperative education as perceived by nurses. The results show significant differences between the perceived and actual preoperative educational practice across all domains except the preoperative preparation. Conclusions The delivery of preoperative education could be affected by nurses’ perceptions. Efforts to facilitate the implementation of effective education as perceived by nurses should be conducted by minimizing potential barriers.