Needs of older persons undergoing cardiac surgery: Exploring the perceptions of nurses, patients waiting for and patients having had surgery.
Soraia Filipa Nicola Martins Rodrigues, Helga Marília da Silva Rafael Henriques, Maria Adriana Pereira Henriques
PMID 35318826WHAT IT FOUND
Older patients waiting for open-heart surgery and nurses identified needs for clear information, emotional support, and a way to reach help during the wait.
Patients feared not waking from anaesthesia, and doubts during the wait had no contact point.
Key findings
01Three needs were identified: health information, emotional support, and access to care.
02Patients could not contact a cardiothoracic health professional when doubts arose during the waiting period.
03Nurses and patients suggested a preoperative contact about 15 days or a week before admission, with a way to ask questions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one hospital in Oporto, so it may not reflect other populations or health systems. Each group had only one focus group, and the sample was small: 8 nurses, 3 waiting patients and 6 patients after surgery. Purposive sampling selected experienced nurses and talkative patients, and some recruited participants did not attend. The main researcher was also the moderator and analyst, so their assumptions could shape the findings, despite review by senior researchers. No intervention was tested, so the study cannot show whether meeting these needs changes surgery outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that a nurse-led preoperative intervention improves outcomes. The study explored perceptions of needs in three focus groups and did not test an intervention.