Nurses' views of patient- and family-centered care and its practices in peri-operative contexts in hospitals in Northern Ghana.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to explore the views of nurses on the concept of patient- and family-centered care (PFCC) and its practices in a peri-operative context in Northern Ghanaian hospitals. METHODS: The study, using a qualitative explorative, descriptive, and contextual research design was conducted at six selected hospitals located in the Northern part of Ghana. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants for individual and focus group interviews. Data were generated between March and May 2022. Data saturation was reached with 27 participants comprising 15 individuals and 12 members from two focus group interviews. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim and the data analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Two themes emerged from the study, namely nurses' understanding of the concept of PFCC and how they see the benefits of PFCC in a peri-operative context. Subthemes of the nurses' understanding of PFCC included their perceptions of PFCC, the need for collaboration, supporting the patient's family for better post-operative and effective communication, and PFCC practices in the peri-operative context. Subthemes for benefits of PFCC in the peri-operative context included nurse-related benefits, patient- and family-related benefits, and healthcare system-related benefits. CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that the concept of PFCC is unfamiliar to the Ghanaian peri-operative context despite the positive perceptions exhibited by the nurses in terms of their understanding of PFCC and its related benefits to nurses, patients, and families as well as the healthcare system.

Surgical Patients' Perception of Spirituality on the Outcome of Surgery in Northern Ghana.

Purpose: To explore surgical patients' perception of spirituality on the outcome of surgeries in the northern part of Ghana. Methods: A qualitative explorative descriptive design was adopted for the study. A purposive sampling technique was used to recruit participants. Data were saturated with 15 participants aged between 23 and 65 years. All the interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was done using the processes of content analysis. Findings: Many participants felt that surgery was a threat to their lives, or felt that they may lose some parts of their body. Participants perceived spirituality (faith) to be a major contributor to their successful surgeries. Participants believed that God's intervention had led to successful surgery outcomes for their surgeries. However, just a few of the participants stressed that they believed in the competencies of the various health professionals (doctors and nurses) for their successful surgeries. Conclusions: The study showed that surgical patients perceived threat, harm, or loss when they had to undergo surgery. Participants' perceived that a successful surgical outcome will depend on divine intervention from their religious faith. Hence, nurses must observe patients' spirituality and respect them during nursing care.