RN, post doc
Lene Lehmkuhl
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, OUH Svendborg Hospital.
| Project management | ||
| Project status | Open | |
| Data collection dates | ||
| Start | 17.03.2025 | |
| End | 31.12.2026 | |
What Matters To You' when preparing for same-day surgery - A mixed method study developing a preoperative person-centred preparation survey
Short summary
This study aims to develop a person-centred survey to assess perceived preoperative readiness for same-day surgery. Using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design, focus group interviews explore patients' perspectives on surgical preparation. Findings will inform survey development, pilot testing, and validation. The goal is to enhance person-centred perioperative care by aligning it with what matters to patients.
Rationale
Each year, over 250,000 surgical procedures under anaesthesia are performed in Denmark, necessitating systematic and effective preoperative preparation to optimize outcomes and enhance surgical safety. Preoperative preparation typically focuses on clinical optimization, such as medication management, diagnostics, and physical readiness. However, a growing body of evidence highlights the need to go beyond biomedical preparation and incorporate a person-centred perspective that addresses patients' psychological, emotional, and social needs. The global "What Matters to You" (WMTY) initiative advocates for a person-centred care approach by inviting healthcare professionals to understand and respond to patients' values, goals, and individual circumstances. Despite this, existing perioperative strategies often fall short in capturing patients' perceived readiness, especially among those discharged the same day. Thus, there is a gap in the development of tools that systematically assess and support person-centred preoperative readiness. This study aim to develop a person-centred survey that asses perceived preoperative readiness in same-day surgery. Study objectives: 1. To access what matters when preparing for surgery when going homes on the day of surgery 2. To develop and test a survey that describe patients' perceived preoperative readiness for same-day surgery when being discharged to their homes on the day of surgery. By integrating patient perspectives into the development of the survey tool, the study intent to support more holistic and person-centred perioperative care pathways.
Description of the cohort
The study population consists of adult mae and femal patients (≥18 years) scheduled for same-day elective surgery across various surgical specialties at 5 Danish hospitalwards. Participants must be able to speak and understand Danish and provide informed consent and have experiences related to preparing for same-day surgery.
Data and biological material
Demographic data collected included age, gender, procedure status (emergency/planned), surgical specialty, hospital, living situation, and contact information for follow-up. The qualitative phase involved two online focus group interviews conducted on a secure platform (e.g., Teams) with 7-8 participants each. This approach enabled participants to share experiences related to preparing for same-day surgery. An experienced moderator and co-moderator facilitated the focus group interview based on a semi-structured guide developed through a systematic literature review and pilot-tested by a patient representative. The interview focused on three themes: (a) preparation for surgery and discharge, (b) main concerns, and (c) information and support needs. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Elo and Kyngäs' content analysis to identify key categories reflecting patient priorities. Findings from the qualitative analysis informed the quantitative phase, in which a survey was developed in REDCap. The survey comprised multiple-choice items derived from qualitative categories, supplemented by free-text options to capture additional patient concerns and strategies. Face validity was confirmed through patient feedback, and content validity was evaluated by expert review. Subsequent descriptive analyses will assess item clarity, cultural relevance, and measurement properties, including floor and ceiling effects in the national WMTY25 survey study conducted on 3th and 6th of June.
Collaborating researchers and departments
Department of Urology, Odense Universitetshospital, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Gødstrup Hospital, Department of Anaesthesiology, Centre of Head and Orthopaedics, Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet, Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Horsens Regional Hospital