The perioperative dialogue--a model of caring for the patient undergoing a hip or a knee replacement surgery under spinal anaesthesia.

The aim of the study was to describe how patients undergoing either a hip or a knee replacement surgery under spinal anaesthesia experienced to be a part of the perioperative dialogue as an ideal model of caring. A qualitative approach was chosen as a method. Nineteen patients undergoing either a hip or a knee replacement surgery under spinal anaesthesia participated. These patients and their nurse anaesthetists had three perioperative dialogues in the pre-, intra- and postoperative phase of care. Data were collected by means of conversational interviews by four voluntary nurse anaesthetists who wrote the dialogues from each perioperative phase. The text from the collected data was analysed by qualitative, latent content analysis. The findings of the analysis show three identified themes: Suffering while waiting for surgery (preoperative dialogue), Continuity creates togetherness (intraoperative dialogue) and Uniqueness - the patient has been seen (postoperative dialogue). The findings show evidence that the perioperative dialogue is an ideal model of caring and serves the patients' desires of individual and dignified care. The patients have a deep appreciation when there is time to develop a caring encounter with his or her own nurse. When a caring encounter has been established, the patient is involved in his or her own care. This model of caring offers the perioperative nurses a new way of caring and arouses reflections about their main task caring for the suffering patient. The continuity created by the perioperative dialogue probably has an influence on both patient satisfaction and patient safety.