Date of Award
Summer 2026
Abstract
Background: Perioperative anxiety is common among surgical patients and their family members. Anxiety may be increased by uncertainty and limited understanding of the surgical experience. Improving perioperative education may enhance understanding, reduce anxiety, and support a more patient and family centered surgical experience.
Local Problem: A Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) identified knowledge gaps in patient and family education about the perioperative process. The existing waiting room bulletin board was outdated and provided limited information. PACU nurses observed anxiety-related behaviors and confusion among patients and family members about the perioperative process. Patient satisfaction surveys routinely collected by the hospital also demonstrated that patients felt that improved education about recovery was needed.
Methods: A quality improvement (QI) project using the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control (DMAIC) framework was used to implement an improvement to perioperative education. The PACU waiting room bulletin board was redesigned with clear, visually engaging, evidence-based information addressing preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of care. pre- and post-implementation nurse surveys were used to evaluate changes in patients’ and families’ perioperative knowledge and anxiety. Patient satisfaction data routinely collected by the hospital were also used to compare before and after the implementation of the educational bulletin board.
Results: Nurse survey results demonstrated improvement across all measured areas. Nurses reported improvement in patient and family understanding of perioperative processes. This included a decrease in repeated questions and confusion. Results also indicated that there was a decrease in anxiety-related behaviors since the implementation of the education bulletin board. Patient satisfaction scores showed small improvement after the implementation of the educational bulletin board. Findings of this project should be interpreted cautiously due to the small nurse survey size and short evaluation period.
Conclusions: Updating the PACU waiting room educational bulletin board provided a low-cost, sustainable solution to address knowledge gaps and high anxiety levels in patients and family members. Findings suggest that increased accessibility to educational materials may improve understanding of perioperative processes and reduce anxiety. Continued evaluation with larger sample sizes, longer evaluation periods, and use of validated anxiety assessment tools is recommended to further evaluate the intervention’s success and sustainability.
Document Type
Master's Thesis
First Advisor
Elizabeth Evans
Second Advisor
Kira Elbert
College or School
CHHS
Department or Program
Nursing
Degree Name
Master of Science
Recommended Citation
Doherty, Ashley Lauren, "A Patient-Centered Approach to Improving Patient and Family Education on Perioperative Processes to Reduce Anxiety: A Quality Improvement Initiative" (2026). Master's Theses and Capstones. 2104.
https://scholars.unh.edu/thesis/2104