American Journal of Nursing Science

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Preoperative Patient Assessment Practices: A Survey of Kenyan Perioperative Nurses

Received: 1 September 2016    Accepted: 9 September 2016    Published: 28 September 2016
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Abstract

Background: Patients undergoing surgery are at risk of developing complications related to surgery and anesthesia amidst heightened anxiety. The key roles played by perioperative nurses in surgery, mandate them to conduct preoperative patient assessment to identify and mitigate potential complications and to plan and deliver quality perioperative care. However, paucity of literature evidencing the practice is very low. Objective of this survey was to evaluate the assessment practices among Kenyan perioperative nurses. Design: A countrywide cross section descriptive survey. Results: Seventy two Kenyan perioperative nurses among conference attendees consented and participated in the survey. Allthe participants were registered nurses out of who only 13(18.1%) had trained in perioperative nursing specialty at diploma level. Out of the 13 trained, only 3(4.2%) had Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Although preoperative patient assessment was reported to be practiced 58 (80.5%) it was apparent that the practice varied with individuals and institutions. Regarding the details of the assessment, general condition of patients, physical, physiological and psychological aspects come out strongly but not the emotional, spiritual and cultural aspects of the patients. Verbal and written reports were reported to be the main modalities of disseminating assessment feed backs to other nurses especially during shift handing over reports. Although preoperative assessment was undoubtedly reported to be beneficial in improving patients’ care 42(58.3%) however, only 2 (2.8%) indicated its use in planning patients’ care. Conclusion: In spite the findings, some glaring gaps likely to impact on quality of nursing care do exist in the preoperative assessment practices by perioperative nurses in Kenya.

DOI 10.11648/j.ajns.20160505.13
Published in American Journal of Nursing Science (Volume 5, Issue 5, October 2016)
Page(s) 185-190
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Perioperative Patient Assessment, Preoperative Ward Visits, Perioperative Nurses, Practice, Kenya

References
[1] National Association of Theatre Nurses (NATN) (1996). Principles of safe practice in the perioperative environment. Harrogate: NATN.
[2] Rothrock, J. C, & McEwen D., R. editors. (2007). Alexander’s care of the patient in surgery. (15th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.
[3] Spry, C. (2005). Essentials of perioperative nursing. (3rd ed.). United Kingdom. Jones & Bartlett Publishers Inc.
[4] Zastrow, S. L., (2009). Perioperative nursing assessments made simple.Nursing4 (3), 16 -17.Retrieved on October 30, 2014 from http://www.Operating room nurse. NurseJournal.com.
[5] Sadati, L., Pazouki, A., Mehdizadeh, A., Shoer, S., &Tamannaie, Z. (2013). Effect of preoperative nursing visit on preoperative anxiety and postoperative complications in candidates for laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A randomized clinical trial. Scandinavia Journal of Caring Science, (27), 994–998.
[6] Taylor, M., & Campbell, C. Surgical practice. In: Clarke, P. &Jones, J. editors. Brigden’s Operating Department Practice. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. 1998.
[7] Torrance, C., & Serginson, E. (1997). Surgical nursing. (12th ed). London: Baillière Tindall.
[8] Coleman M, White J. (2001).Pre-operative visiting in Wales: A study of its prevalence and nature. Journal of Research in Nursing (2), 611-624. Reviewed on June 22, 2016 from http://jrn.sagepub.com/content/6/2/611
[9] Beck, A. (2007). Nurse-led pre-operative assessment for elective surgical patients. Nursing Standard, 21(51), 35-38.
[10] Hines, S., Chang, A., Ramis, M., &Pike, S. (2010). Effectiveness of nurse-led preoperative assessment services for elective surgery: A systematic review. Joanna Briggs Institute Library of Systematic Reviews, 8 (15), 621-660.
[11] Oakley, M. (2005). Preoperative assessment. In: Pudner, R., editor. Nursing the surgical patient (2nd ed). London: Bailliere Tindall.
[12] Weiser, T.G., & Regenbogen, S. E., Thompson, K. D., Haynes, A. B., Lipsitz, S. R., & Berry, W. R., & Gawande, A.A. (2008). An estimation of the global volume of surgery: A modelling strategy based on available data. Lancet: 372 (9633), 139-44. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)60878-8.
[13] National Health services (NHS) (2003). Operating theatre and pre-operative assessment program, National good practice guidance on pre-operative assessment for Inpatient Surgery. NHS, London.
[14] Bamishaiye, E. I., Hinmikaiye, C. D. (2012). The incidence of low back pain among theatre nurses: A case study of University of Ilorin and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital. International Journal of Nursing Science, 2(3):23-28. doi:10.5923/j.nursing.20120203.02.
[15] Gbiri, C.A., Osho, A.O., Olumiji, A. (2012.Prevalence, pattern and impact of work-related musculoskeletal disorders on functional performance of welders in a Nigeria rural-urban center. Journal of Occupational Health and Epidemiology1, 87-94.
[16] Danjuma, A, Ibrahim,T.A., Omoniyi, S.O., Kolo, S., Odofin, O.M., et al. (2015) Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Preoperative Visit: A Survey of Nigerian Perioperative Nurses. American Journal of Health Research 3: 54-60.
[17] Bramhall, J. (2002). The role of nurses in preoperative assessment. Nursingtimes.net 98 (40),34. Retriewed on August 18,2014 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12382440
[18] Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) (2012). Perioperativestandards and recommended practices. Denver, CO. Retrieved on September 16, 2016, http://www.aorn.org/WworkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=21931.
[19] Kalideen D. (1991). The case for pre-operative visiting. British Journal of Theatre Nursing, 1 (5), 19-21.
[20] Wicker, P. (1995). Pre-operative visiting: making it work. British Journal of Theatre Nursing, 5 (7), 16-19.
[21] Crawford, B. (1999). Highlighting the role of the perioperative nurse - preoperative assessment necessary?British Journal of Theatre Nursing 9 (7), 319-322.
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[23] Malley A., Kenner, C., Kim T., & Blakeney, B. (2015). The Role of the nurse and the preoperative assessment in patient transitions. Association of perioperative Registered Nurses Journal,102(2),181.e1–181.e9.doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2015.06.004
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  • APA Style

    Lilian A. Omondi. (2016). Preoperative Patient Assessment Practices: A Survey of Kenyan Perioperative Nurses. American Journal of Nursing Science, 5(5), 185-190. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20160505.13

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    ACS Style

    Lilian A. Omondi. Preoperative Patient Assessment Practices: A Survey of Kenyan Perioperative Nurses. Am. J. Nurs. Sci. 2016, 5(5), 185-190. doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20160505.13

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    AMA Style

    Lilian A. Omondi. Preoperative Patient Assessment Practices: A Survey of Kenyan Perioperative Nurses. Am J Nurs Sci. 2016;5(5):185-190. doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20160505.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajns.20160505.13,
      author = {Lilian A. Omondi},
      title = {Preoperative Patient Assessment Practices: A Survey of Kenyan Perioperative Nurses},
      journal = {American Journal of Nursing Science},
      volume = {5},
      number = {5},
      pages = {185-190},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajns.20160505.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajns.20160505.13},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajns.20160505.13},
      abstract = {Background: Patients undergoing surgery are at risk of developing complications related to surgery and anesthesia amidst heightened anxiety. The key roles played by perioperative nurses in surgery, mandate them to conduct preoperative patient assessment to identify and mitigate potential complications and to plan and deliver quality perioperative care. However, paucity of literature evidencing the practice is very low. Objective of this survey was to evaluate the assessment practices among Kenyan perioperative nurses. Design: A countrywide cross section descriptive survey. Results: Seventy two Kenyan perioperative nurses among conference attendees consented and participated in the survey. Allthe participants were registered nurses out of who only 13(18.1%) had trained in perioperative nursing specialty at diploma level. Out of the 13 trained, only 3(4.2%) had Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Although preoperative patient assessment was reported to be practiced 58 (80.5%) it was apparent that the practice varied with individuals and institutions. Regarding the details of the assessment, general condition of patients, physical, physiological and psychological aspects come out strongly but not the emotional, spiritual and cultural aspects of the patients. Verbal and written reports were reported to be the main modalities of disseminating assessment feed backs to other nurses especially during shift handing over reports. Although preoperative assessment was undoubtedly reported to be beneficial in improving patients’ care 42(58.3%) however, only 2 (2.8%) indicated its use in planning patients’ care. Conclusion: In spite the findings, some glaring gaps likely to impact on quality of nursing care do exist in the preoperative assessment practices by perioperative nurses in Kenya.},
     year = {2016}
    }
    

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    AB  - Background: Patients undergoing surgery are at risk of developing complications related to surgery and anesthesia amidst heightened anxiety. The key roles played by perioperative nurses in surgery, mandate them to conduct preoperative patient assessment to identify and mitigate potential complications and to plan and deliver quality perioperative care. However, paucity of literature evidencing the practice is very low. Objective of this survey was to evaluate the assessment practices among Kenyan perioperative nurses. Design: A countrywide cross section descriptive survey. Results: Seventy two Kenyan perioperative nurses among conference attendees consented and participated in the survey. Allthe participants were registered nurses out of who only 13(18.1%) had trained in perioperative nursing specialty at diploma level. Out of the 13 trained, only 3(4.2%) had Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. Although preoperative patient assessment was reported to be practiced 58 (80.5%) it was apparent that the practice varied with individuals and institutions. Regarding the details of the assessment, general condition of patients, physical, physiological and psychological aspects come out strongly but not the emotional, spiritual and cultural aspects of the patients. Verbal and written reports were reported to be the main modalities of disseminating assessment feed backs to other nurses especially during shift handing over reports. Although preoperative assessment was undoubtedly reported to be beneficial in improving patients’ care 42(58.3%) however, only 2 (2.8%) indicated its use in planning patients’ care. Conclusion: In spite the findings, some glaring gaps likely to impact on quality of nursing care do exist in the preoperative assessment practices by perioperative nurses in Kenya.
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Author Information
  • School of Nursing Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

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