Question

Read the following scenario and answer the questions.

You are asked to transport a 44-year-old female patient from the ward to the operating room. You arrive on the ward and notify the head nurse that you are there to pick up the patient. You are directed to the correct room. When you arrive, the patient's family is with her. Everyone seems very worried, and the patient appears frightened. The patient's sister asks how long the procedure will take. You aren't sure, so you tell the family you do not know. The sister appears unhappy with the answer but does not press the question. She then states that she saw a program on TV in which a former patient describes being able to feel everything during his surgery, in spite of having received general anesthetic. You are not sure how to respond to this, so you say that the story was probably false and didn't happen. Finally, the patient's husband asks you if his wife will be in a lot of pain after the surgery. You don't want to worry the family, so you say that she probably won't have any. The patient has remained silent throughout the conversation.

a. What would be a better response to the sister's question about the length of the surgery?

b. Why are families generally concerned about the time length of a surgery?

c. What would be a better response to the sister's description of the TV show on conscious anesthesia?

d. What would be a better response to the husband's question about postoperative pain?

e. How do you think the total encounter with the family affected the patient?

f. How could you have practiced therapeutic communication with the patient, even in her silence?

Answer 1

a. The nurse can tell the sister an approximate time length that the surgery usually takes, and it may be prolonged in case of any untoward incidents during the surgery.

b. Families are usually anxious, when their loved ones undergo any kind of operative procedure. The longer the time, the more anxious, they become and they consider the patient to be in a more critical condition. The lesser the time, they feel the patient to be in a better condition.

c. The nurse can tell the sister that the dose administered must not have been enough for the patient and that it was just a TV show. But in real-life situations, the effect of the anesthesia is checked before the procedure is started.

d. The nurse should not deny that the person will not have any pain. She should explain that everybody has a different perception of pain. The same surgery may have extreme pain for some patients and for some it may be bearable. However, the pain will be managed by giving an adequate amount of pain killers.

e. The total encounter with the family must have made the patient more anxious and apprehensive about the surgery.

f. The nurse could have asked the patient if she any doubts or concerns regarding the surgery. She could have reassured the patient by giving her a  therapeutic touch and said that all of the health care team will do their best to treat her and that they have the best team available.