Therapeutic relationships in day surgery: a grounded theory study

Mottram, A 2009, 'Therapeutic relationships in day surgery: a grounded theory study' , Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18 , pp. 2830-2837.

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Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore patients’ experiences of day surgery. Background: Therapeutic relationships are considered to be a core dimension of nursing care. However in modern healthcare with short hospital stays the formation of these relationships may be impeded. A major theme to emerge from this study was the development of therapeutic relationships in the day surgery setting. Methodology: The Glaserian method of Grounded Theory was utilised. Semi –structured interviews with 145 patients took place from 2004-2006 in two day surgery units in the United Kingdom. Analysis involved transcriptions of interviews and memos. Lists of key words and phrases were made and constantly compared until core categories began to emerge. Results: Patients spoke highly of the relationships they developed with nurses during their stay in the day surgery unit. Analysis of the data revealed the core category of therapeutic relationships and four sub core categories: “presence,” “extra special” “befriending” and “comfort-giving.” Conclusion: This paper adds to the growing body of literature which demonstrates that therapeutic relationships can be developed within the short stay arena of health care : routine interactions which may not be considered to be significant by nurses may be of importance to patients. The patients in this study felt supported, comforted and befriended by day surgery nurses. However a minority of patients were disappointed with the nursing staff responses to patient needs. Relevance to clinical practice: Anecdotal and empirical evidence suggests that personnel working within day surgery are not always aware of their therapeutic potential. Therefore raising awareness of this through research generated from patients’ experiences might encourage nurses to further realise their capabilities in this fundamental area of nursing.

Item Type:	Article
Themes:	Subjects / Themes > R Medicine > RD Surgery Subjects / Themes > R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine Health and Wellbeing
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Clinical Nursing
Publisher:	Blackwell Publishing
Refereed:	Yes
ISSN:	0962-1067
Funders:	University of Salford
Depositing User:	A Mottram
Date Deposited:	19 Apr 2010 15:29
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2022 09:18
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/8820

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