Effects of Information Delivery Intervention for the Family of Patients Undergoing Surgery on Emergency in South Korea

The family of emergency surgery patients experience psychological pressure due to the uncertainty of the surgery. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of information delivery intervention provided by an operation theater nurse on anxiety and satisfaction levels of the family of emergency surgery patients. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design is used. A total of 60 participants were included in the study as the family of patients undergoing emergency surgery within 6 hr in the emergency room of K hospital in Seoul, Korea (intervention: n = 30, control: n = 30). The information delivery intervention consisted of information on the operating room environment and surgery progress. The tools included the Anxiety scale to examine the anxiety levels and Perioperative Family Needs Questionnaire (PFNQ) to measure family satisfaction levels. Participants in the intervention group had a lower anxiety level (p < .001) and higher family satisfaction with the intervention (p < .001) than that of the control group. The information delivery intervention provided by an operation theater nurse was effective. It decreased the anxiety level and increased the satisfaction for the family member of emergency surgery patients. These findings can be used as clinical evidence to explore nursing interventions or strategies for the patient's family during an emergency surgery.