Aims and objectives

To describe preoperative communication after a person‐centred intervention in nurses' consultations with patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.

Background

Patients all over the world scheduled for surgery are referred to preoperative consultations with healthcare professionals. The goal is to assess the risk of perioperative complications, improving quality of care and enabling patients to be prepared for surgery and recovery. A person‐centred intervention was developed, which consisted of an interactive written patient education material and person‐centred communication.

Design

An explorative quantitative and qualitative study based on 18 audio‐taped transcriptions.

Methods

Eighteen patients preoperative nursing consultations at three Swedish hospitals were analysed quantitatively regarding structure: words, time, phases, questions, discursive space, and qualitatively: topics and how the person‐centred communication appeared in the consultations.

Results

The median time for consultations was 27 min (range 13–64 min). The nurses used two‐thirds of the discursive space in the consultations with the patients. The patient education material was used as a support to structure the consultation and discuss sensitive and difficult issues. Seven topics were discussed during the consultation. Two different approaches to communication were identified: Talking with the patient versus Talking to the patient. Talking with the patient (seen as person‐centred communication) was defined as: listening to the narrative and confirming each other, raising difficult topics, seeing each other as persons, building on strengths and resources, preparing for surgery and asking open questions.

Conclusion

Ways of communicating influence how the preoperative consultation develops. Talking with the patient could be seen as person‐centred communication in the preoperative care, and when using this approach, the intervention purpose of person‐centred communication was met.

Relevance to clinical practice

Education in person‐centred communication is important for nurses to improve their skills in performing preoperative consultations.