Learning Needs of Patients and Their Caregivers After Ambulatory Surgery

The purpose of this study was to determine the learning needs of ambulatory surgery patients and their caregivers. The study was a cross-sectional and descriptive survey. The study was conducted between July 2017 and March 2018 in the outpatient units of a training and research hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. The sample consisted of 117 patients and caregivers dyads. The instruments included a Patient Information Form and the Patient Learning Needs Scale (PLNS). The mean total PLNS scores of ambulatory surgery patients were 193.54 ± 35.46 and that of the patient's caregivers was 199.88 ± 31.84. The highest mean PLNS subscale for patients and caregivers was treatment and complications. As the PLNS scores of the patients increase, the scores of the caregivers also increase. The learning needs of ambulatory surgery patients and their caregivers are high. Patients and caregivers must be well informed and well prepared to cope with possible problems at home.