Abstract

CHETTY, C  and  EHLERS, VJ. Orthopaedic patients' perceptions about their pre-operative information. Curationis [online]. 2009, vol.32, n.4, pp.55-60. ISSN 2223-6279.

A non-experimental, descriptive and quantitative survey was conducted to explore orthopaedic patients' perceptions about the pre-operative information received when undergoing elective surgery in two hospitals in the KwaZulu-Natal Province. The findings indicate that most patients perceived the pre-operative information to be useful in their preparation for surgery. Aspects that were not addressed during preoperative information sessions included post-operative nutrition, pain medication, ambulation, deep breathing and coughing exercises. The recommendations include that all these aspects should be addressed in future pre-operative education sessions. Further research should be conducted for enhancing the pre-operative information provided to patients scheduled to undergo elective orthopaedic surgery.

Keywords : patients' perceptions; pre-operative information; orthopaedic patients.

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