Leila Ledbetter, DUSON library liaison, and Michael Relf, associate dean for global and community health affairs, contributed to a publication in AORN Journal by Gian Torres, DUSON visiting scholar in Fall 2019, entitled "Systematic Review of Preoperative Patient Readiness." The systematic review was associated with one of his training goals during the visiting scholar period, and Relf served as his mentor during the visiting scholar period at DUSON.  

Abstract

Preoperative readiness indicates the patient's capacity to process information, consider possible outcomes, and decide to undergo a surgical procedure. This systematic review examines how the term "patient readiness" is used in the literature and synthesizes how preoperative interventions address readiness. A medical librarian searched five electronic databases to identify articles published between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2019, that address studies including adult patients scheduled for surgery who participated in programs designed to foster readiness or studies that explored surgical readiness. After extracting 28 studies, the authors assessed the articles for quality and thematically synthesized them to describe actions and indicators of patient readiness according to the Perioperative Patient Focused Model. Readiness can positively influence surgical outcomes (eg, pain, satisfaction); however, there is a paucity of high-level, quality evidence that discusses surgical readiness for perioperative care. Nurses should use the information in this review to improve patient-centered preoperative care.

Citation

Torres, G., Fernandez, D. F., Ledbetter, L., & Relf, M. V. (2021). Systematic Review of Preoperative Patient Readiness. AORN journal, 114(1), 47–59. https://doi.org/10.1002/aorn.13425