Assessing needs of patients and families during the perioperative period at King Abdullah Medical City

Abstract

This paper explores elective surgery patients’ and family members’ needs during the perioperative period, in a specialized hospital in Saudi Arabia. Needs are influenced by context and could differ from a setting to another. Two questionnaires, one for the patient group and the other for the family member group, were adopted from a previous similar study. The participants were asked to rate the importance of each need and how much it was satisfied. Data were collected in 5 weeks. Descriptive statistics were used to determine the average rate and standard deviation of each item. Patients highly rated the need for adequate symptom management in the recovery area. Family members highly rated the importance of being informed if the surgical procedure is taking more time than expected and communicating with the surgeon after the procedure. Systematically involving the family member in the perioperative care of the patient is advantageous. However, interventions and extent of involvement of the family member to the care of the patient would have to be adapted according to the cultural context.