Perioperative teaching of parents. A unit-based study.
The study findings supported our hypothesis that parents would achieve a greater than 80% score on posttest following perioperative teaching intervention by the nurses in our ambulatory surgery unit. Feedback from parents indicated their perceived need for both written and verbal instructions. Limitations of this study included too few patients in the control sample and the uncontrolled presence or absence of the teaching sheet at the time of posttest. Recommendations for future studies. Unit-based research requires commitment, flexibility, administrative support, resource availability, documentation, time, and patience. Postoperative care instructions for most surgeries include some basic key points for home care (eg, fever, return to normal activity and behavior, diet, incision care, when one needs to contact his or her physician). This study can be adapted to evaluate effectiveness of teaching efforts by nurses, reinforce current practices, and make effective changes in existing teaching protocols.