Effect of Recovery Promotion Program with Family Support for Older Adults Undergoing Abdominal Operation: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Older adults undergoing abdominal surgery may experience delayed recovery due to changes in physical and psychological aspects. Additionally, the process for effectively involving family members in enhancing recovery for older adults undergoing abdominal surgery in Thailand remains unclear. A quasi-experimental, two-group post-test-only design was employed to investigate the effects of the Recovery Promotion Program with Family Support for older adults undergoing abdominal surgery. The sample consisted of 66 older individuals who had abdominal surgery in the surgical department of a supertertiary hospital, in the lower North of Thailand. The participants in the control group (n = 33) were purposively selected and completed the study first. Then, the participants in the experiment group (n = 33) were recruited by pair matching to ensure similarity in gender, age, and the type of surgery with the participants in the control group. The instruments used to collect data were: a Demographic Data Form, a Convalescence and Recovery Evaluation Form, a Fall Risk Assessment Tool, and a Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment Tool. Data were summarized with descriptive statistics and analyzed using the Chi-square and independent t-test. The results showed that on day 5 post-surgery, older adults who received the Recovery Promotion Program with Family Support had a significantly better overall recovery, with an extremely large effect size, and also experienced substantially better recovery in terms of pain, gastrointestinal function, emotional status, and activity compared to participants who received routine care alone. In terms of safety, post-intervention analysis revealed no difference between the groups. When comparing the incidence of falls and pressure ulcers, both the experimental and control groups demonstrated 100% safety, with no reported adverse events, such as severe pain, persistent nausea or vomiting, or difficulty breathing. The study findings indicate that the Recovery Promotion Program with Family Support can enhance postoperative recovery in older adults undergoing abdominal surgery. Nurses can apply this intervention in promoting recovery among this population. However, further testing with a multisite study and randomized control is needed before it can be widely used.