Preoperative care encompasses the provisions given prior to surgery, wherein the patient’s unique requirements are considered to undertake physical and psychological preparations in anticipation of the procedure [1]. This phase commences upon the patient’s admission to the hospital or surgical facility and extends until the commencement of the actual procedure [1,2,3,4]. The primary emphasis in preoperative preparation should lie in the advancement of techniques aimed at mitigating the emotional distress experienced by surgical patients [5]. In this context, nurses play a crucial role in formulating, developing, expanding, and implementing interventions and modifications [5, 6].
The primary goal of a healthcare system is to ensure the provision of medical care that is of the utmost quality and safety [7]. In this context, patient safety has emerged as a paramount concern and is currently placed at the forefront of priorities [8, 9]. A systematic review conducted in Saudi Arabia and Turkey concluded that preoperative nursing assessment plays a vital role in mitigating preoperative complications by alleviating anxiety and enhancing patients’ understanding of the surgical procedure. This, in turn, has a substantial positive impact on patient satisfaction [10, 11]. The review also emphasized the necessity of nurses receiving proper training and education in preoperative assessment, as the absence of adequately trained nursing staff elevates patient anxiety levels and renders them susceptible to potential complications [2, 10].
Patient satisfaction is defined as a subjective reaction to the context, process, and result of the service experience one has received [12, 13]. The measurement of quality is closely linked to the satisfaction levels expressed by patients regarding the care they have received [14, 15]. Both the practice environment and the personal characteristics of nurses serve as significant indicators of the quality of patient care [16]. Enhancing working conditions and achieving improved patient outcomes, including reduced mortality rates, are facilitated by a positive relationship between the work environment attributes of nurses and their levels of proficiency and personal capabilities [17]. Additionally, various aspects of the workplace, such as the physical setting, working hours, and the level of fatigue among nursing staff, have been found to influence the safety and quality of patient care [18].
Comprehensive nursing interventions should be implemented throughout the entire perioperative phase to prevent complications and adverse events in the surgical domain [19]. Although the impact of perioperative nursing interventions on patient health outcomes may not be fully comprehended, it is substantial in its significance [20]. Through the provision of care during the postoperative period, nurses can effectively mitigate the occurrence of adverse events, even though certain studies have identified nurses’ workload and time constraints as predominant barriers to effective nurse-patient communication [21,22,23,24]. Preoperative nursing assessment plays a pivotal role in delineating and discerning the patient’s risk factors throughout their perioperative care, extending beyond the confines of the surgical procedure itself [25, 26].
To optimize patient care and enhance postoperative outcomes, it is imperative for nurses engaged in patient assessment and preoperative care to possess comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the latest research in this field [27]. Throughout the preoperative phase, nurses provided comfort, guidance, and rehabilitation to the patients. However, they failed to involve the patients in their treatment [28, 29]. An unfortunate number of patients endured minor injuries due to improper utilization of theater equipment, such as diathermy devices, along with inadequate implementation of safety precautions by the nursing staff during the surgical procedure [28, 30]. Furthermore, patients were left feeling bewildered and unsettled due to the nurses’ deficient communication [28, 31].
The perioperative environment possesses distinctive characteristics, encompassing intricate clinical care delivered by specialized teams, substantial costs, utilization of advanced technologies, and a vast array of challenging-to-manage resources [30, 32]. These factors can contribute to the development of highly intricate settings prone to adverse events concerning patient safety [32, 33]. Medication errors, omissions, patient misidentification, and surgical site misidentification are among the various types of mistakes that can occur during surgical procedures [34]. Birmingham-based research showcased that reducing waiting times, enhancing patient satisfaction, and upholding the efficacy of clinical services were the outcomes of evaluating patient load and the delivery system within the clinic [35, 36]. To optimize patient satisfaction, nurses involved in preoperative care must possess up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the most recent research [27]. Despite the significant increase in the number of patients requiring surgery, with complex medical needs, a scarcity of pertinent data exists regarding the satisfaction levels and impacts associated with preoperative care.
Studies conducted in Ethiopia showed varying levels of patient satisfaction with preoperative nursing care in surgical procedures. The cross-sectional study carried out in Addis Ababa, Western Amhara referral hospitals, University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, East Amhara referral hospitals and Gamo and Gofa zone showed that the patient satisfaction with preoperative care ranges from 36.6 to 84% [12, 37,38,39,40]. According to the study conducted at Sohag University, the overall satisfaction score of patients who underwent surgery was determined to be 61.9% [41].
Various factors play key roles in influencing patient satisfaction with preoperative nursing care, both related to the hospital and nursing environment (such as ward/unit dynamics, length of hospitalization, surgical specialization, waiting times, nurse responsiveness), patient and family characteristics (including financial status, prior hospitalizations, service expectations, health conditions, procedure types, complications, discharge plans, anxiety levels, illness duration, family size), and preoperative education can seriously influence satisfaction levels of patients with preoperative nursing care. Additionally, sociodemographic factors like gender, age, income, residence, marital status, religion, ethnicity, education level, and occupation may also significantly impact patient satisfaction [1, 10, 12, 32, 37,38,39,40,41,42].
Enhancing patient satisfaction with preoperative nursing care is vital for patient-centered healthcare. This study investigates the factors influencing patient satisfaction in surgical procedures, aiming to improve care quality. By identifying areas for enhancement, the research informs healthcare practices, potentially leading to better patient experiences and outcomes. Contributing to the existing literature, this contemporary study provides updated insights into patient preferences, guiding efforts toward optimized preoperative care delivery and improved surgical outcomes. This research can also pave the way for advancements in patient-centered care approaches and potentially lead to positive impacts on healthcare outcomes and patient experiences in surgical settings.
Most of the previous research conducted in Ethiopia has primarily focused on evaluating patient satisfaction with the overall hospital services. However, this particular study honed in on specifically examining the satisfaction levels of preoperative nursing care services. This focus was chosen due to the profound impact that such care has on surgical outcomes and subsequent postoperative recovery. Notably, this study stands as the first of its kind within our study area; as far as we know, no prior study of this nature has been conducted. It is also worth noting that while some previous studies had utilized nurses as study participants, this study appropriately selected patients, as they possess indispensable insights into the quality of nursing care and ultimately determine the level of satisfaction experienced. Additionally, this study introduced previously unstudied variables, such as patient flow per shift and nurses’ willingness to listen and respond to questions, which hold the potential for significant associations with satisfaction levels regarding preoperative nursing care services. Therefore, this study aimed to comprehensively assess patient satisfaction with preoperative nursing care and its associated factors in surgical procedures.
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