Perioperative stress experiences of patients before surgical operation: A phenomenological study

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' experiences of perioperative stress before surgery using a phenomenological approach. Design: In the study, in which phenomenological research method was used, semi- structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 12 patients who were treated in the orthopedics clinic. Method: Criterion sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods, was used to reach the sample group. Interviews continued until data saturation was achieved. All interviews were recorded on a voice recorder after obtaining the necessary permissions and then transcribed. The data of the study were evaluated using thematic analysis. The study was conducted and reported according to the COREQ checklist. Results: In the analysis of the data, three main themes (situations experienced before the surgical operation, feelings and thoughts about the operating room, and perioperative stress and thoughts about healthcare professionals) and seven sub-themes (mental, physical, social, emotions, thoughts, positive thoughts and negative thoughts) were identified. Conclusion: It was found that patients experienced many psychosocial difficulties, especially fear and anxiety, in the preoperative period. It can be said that the difficulties experienced are related to both the surgical process and the operating room environment and the communication and interaction of healthcare professionals. In this context, determining the fear and anxiety levels of patients in the preoperative process, providing standardized comprehensive trainings to patients in order to prevent different practices related to the surgical process, organizing in-service trainings to strengthen the communication skills of healthcare professionals are very important for the healthy management of the process and providing holistic nursing care.