Knowledge, attitude and practice of preoperative visit: A survey of Nigerian perioperative nurses

摘要

Background: The notion of preoperative visiting has been in existence since the 1960s and its value and worth in relation to healthcare delivery has been debated consistently since the term preoperative-visit is often confusing. However, little is known about knowledge, attitude and practice of preoperative visits among perioperative nurses in Nigeria. Objectives: The study sought to determine knowledge, attitude and practice of Nigerian perioperative nurses towards the practice of preoperative visits and to identify barriers militating against the practice. Design: This is a countrywide cross-sectional descriptive survey. Results: One hundred and forty six Nigerian perioperative nurses among the conferenceattendees gave consent to participate in this study. Half of the participants- 70(50%) of the participants worked with tertiary health facilitiesand 71(52.2%) were from the conference host region (Southwest, Nigeria).The majority (97.3%) of the participants possess good knowledge of preoperative visit. Equally, 139 (96%)of them acknowledged that the practice of preoperative visit is very important to perioperative nursing careas well as to the teeming patients.About two-third (63%) of the participants reported that they practice preoperative patient visit while 53 (37%) did not. Ninety two (72%) of the participants stated that they often document their opinions during preoperative visits to patients. Major factors militating against the practice of preoperative visit include timing of the visits (89%) and work overload (66%). It is equally important to note that 27 (18%) of the participantsidentified shortage of perioperative nurses as a barrier to preoperative visit. Years of experience, workplace, age and professional rank were associated withthe practice of preoperative visit. Conclusion: Most perioperative nurses in Nigeria have formally acquired knowledge of preoperative visit. However, there is a notable gap between their knowledge and attitude towards it. Therefore, they require periodic reminder through continuing professional development programs on their responsibilities towards the recipients/beneficiaries of the perioperative nursing care.