OBJECTIVES: The aim was to describe postponements or complete cancellations of planned cardiac operations at a Swedish hospital during 1999 and the reception the patients received from the staff in connection with this, from the inpatient's perspective. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design inspired by content analysis was used. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to all 74 patients who had their heart operation cancelled. RESULTS: During analysis of the questionnaires, five categories of answers emerged describing the patients' perception of: organization, medical aspects, information, waiting time and staff reception. Overall, the patients reacted negatively to the postponement/cancellation in the form of anxiety and disappointment and fear of being affected by cardiovascular problems, but were generally satisfied with reception received from hospital staff. A number of concerns were revealed, however, with possible practical implications for the health-care system. CONCLUSION: An understanding of the disappointment and anxiety felt by patients because of the postponement/cancellation of heart surgery can help medical staff to improve the situation. An intervention program is suggested that includes a pre-admission clinic, a change in the planning and waiting list system and support via follow-up telephone calls or internet-based support system.
OBJECTIVES: The aim was to describe postponements or complete cancellations of planned cardiac operations at a Swedish hospital during 1999 and the reception the patients received from the staff in connection with this, from the inpatient's perspective. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive design inspired by content analysis was used. Data were collected through questionnaires distributed to all 74 patients who had their heart operation cancelled. RESULTS: During analysis of the questionnaires, five categories of answers emerged describing the patients' perception of: organization, medical aspects, information, waiting time and staff reception. Overall, the patients reacted negatively to the postponement/cancellation in the form of anxiety and disappointment and fear of being affected by cardiovascular problems, but were generally satisfied with reception received from hospital staff. A number of concerns were revealed, however, with possible practical implications for the health-care system. CONCLUSION: An understanding of the disappointment and anxiety felt by patients because of the postponement/cancellation of heart surgery can help medical staff to improve the situation. An intervention program is suggested that includes a pre-admission clinic, a change in the planning and waiting list system and support via follow-up telephone calls or internet-based support system.
Authors: Benjamin Tze Keong Ding; Tamara Soh; Bryan Yijia Tan; Jacob Yoong-Leong Oh; Muhammad Farhan Bin Mohd Fadhil; Kumaran Rasappan; Keng Thiam Lee Journal: J Bone Joint Surg Am Date: 2020-07-01 Impact factor: 6.558