Adolescents’ perioperative experiences in relation to inpatient and outpatient elective surgery – a qualitative study

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of caring sciences Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 493 - 503
• Main Authors: Pestana‐Santos, Marcia, Pestana‐Santos, Adriana, Santos, Margarida Reis, Lomba, Lurdes
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sweden Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.06.2022
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Anxiety; Autonomy; Child; Elective surgery; Emotions; experience; Facial expressions; Friendship; Health care; Humans; Inpatient care; Inpatients; Institutional aspects; Medical personnel; Outpatients; Pain; Pediatrics; perioperative period; Psychological aspects; Qualitative Research; Social factors; Sociocultural factors; Surgery; Teenagers; anxiety; perioperative period; qualitative research; experience; adolescents
• ISSN: 0283-9318; 1471-6712
• DOI: 10.1111/scs.13046

Background Perioperative experience can be very distressing in adolescence if not managed properly by healthcare professionals. In the clinical context, the emotional expression of the adolescent is less spontaneous, which makes the assessment of anxiety, pain or even the desire to be involved in the perioperative process, difficult. Listening to their perioperative experiences will permit an understanding of their difficulties and expectations, regardless of the surgical intervention undergone. Aim To explore the adolescents’ perioperative experiences in relation to inpatient and outpatient elective surgery. Methods Qualitative exploratory study, with thematic analysis approach. A purposive sample of 40 adolescents aged 14–18 years and in the perioperative period, from two paediatric surgery settings in a university hospital, was questioned from January to July 2020. Data were collected using a semi‐structured interview and analysed inductively with qualitative thematic analysis. Results The data yielded one major theme, five themes, and 14 sub‐themes. The major theme, Adolescent in perioperative period, included the five themes: (1) emotional and psychological aspects; (2) physical aspects; (3) social aspects; (4) organizational aspects; (5) previous surgical experience. Adolescents expressed fear of the unknown, anxiety, difficulty in pain control, and feelings of autonomy loss. Issues related to withdrawal from school and friends is also a focus of adolescent concern during the perioperative period. Despite showing satisfaction with the way they were cared for, they complained about the lack of pre‐ and post‐operative preparation. Conclusion There are aspects that should be considered when caring for adolescents in perioperative period. As far as possible, programmes to prevent adolescents’ anxiety in perioperative period should be designed in a holistic perspective, with aim at the psychological, physical, sociocultural, and organisational aspects.