Nurse anaesthetists’ experiences of the first intraoperative meeting with anxious adult patients: An interview study

Abstract

The first intraoperative meeting between the nurse anaesthetist and the patient is usually brief. The short encounter requires nursing competence and it is important to build rapport with the patient. Organizational aspects such as shortage of time can affect the first encounter. The aim of the study was to elucidate nurse anaesthetists’ experiences of the first intraoperative meeting with anxious adult patients. A qualitative content analysis was conducted. Ten nurse anaesthetists were interviewed using open-ended questions. The theme ‘To address’ emerged from three categories: Situations that can affect how to address patient anxiety, Strategies on how to address patient anxiety and Experiences of addressing patient anxiety. The study showed that it became easier with professional experience to address patient anxiety. The most prominent findings were the differences in how to address patient anxiety, with either medical or nursing interventions.