BARRIERS TO IMPLEMENTATION OF PREOPERATIVE VISITS AMONG PERI-OPERATIVE NURSES AT THE FEDERAL TEACHING HOSPITAL ABAKALIKI

This study assessed the Barriers to the Implementation of Pre-operative Visits among Perioperative Nurses at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki Ebonyi State. The specific objectives of the study were to identify what nurses know as the benefits of pre-operative visits, determine the personal barriers to the implementation of pre-operative visits as well as to ascertain institution-related barriers to the implementation of pre-operative visits by peri-operative nurses at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FETHA), Abakaliki. Literature review was conducted under conceptual, theoretical and empirical reviews. The study was anchored on Dorothy Johnson’s and Peplaus’s theory of interpersonal relationships. Descriptive survey design was adopted and the study population and sample size consisted of fifty-six (56) nurses working in the various theatres of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki. Self-designed questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection. The questionnaire contained close-ended questions as well as response items on modified four (4) point Likert scale. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and presented in tables and charts indicating frequencies, simple percentages and mean scores. Findings from the study revealed that 91.1% of respondents stated that pre-visit helps patients to become involved in their care, 94.6% stated that it gives them time to voice any fears they may have, 98.2% stated that it enables the nurse to assess the patient’s needs and to formulate a plan of care while 96.4% said that it improves interactions, information and instruction compliance by the patients. Personal barriers to the implementation of previsits were identified as fear of passing wrong information to patients (Mean=3.1), fear of passing too much information to patients (Mean=3.0) and linguistic barrier (Mean=2.9). Additionally, not having enough time to engage in preoperative visits (Mean2.9), high patient to nurses’ ratio (Mean=3.0), lack of support from immediate supervisors (Mean=2.9), non implementation of findings from previous pre-visits (Mean=2.8)and reluctance to embark on pre-visits alone (Mean=2.9)were identified as institutional barriers to the implementation of pre-operative visits among nurses. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among other things that adequate time should be set out during which the healthcare team including the peri-operative nurses should embark on peri-operative visits.