It is not uncommon for people with mental illness, many of whom have complications, to undergo surgery in a general ward. Previous studies have revealed that nurses in general wards have difficulty dealing with people with mental illness, but they have not clarified nurses’ perceptions of those people during the perioperative period. This study aimed to identify the perceptions of general ward nurses when caring for people with mental illness who are undergoing surgery. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nurses who had at least three years of experience in a general hospital surgical ward, and qualitative data analysis was undertaken. As a result, four categories and 17 subcategories were identified. With regard to people with mental illness in the perioperative period, general ward nurses said they had “anxiety from lack of knowledge”. Nevertheless, they were willing to “fullfillment of nursing responsibilities” by sharing information and trying to understand their patients. Furthermore, an aspect of “nursing as usual” existed based on experiences with difficult patients with or without mental illness. “A sense of security in a cooperative treatment environment” reduced general ward nurses’ anxiety and had a positive effect on “fulfillment of their nursing responsibilities”. In conclusion, general ward nurses were anxious about accepting people with mental illness in the perioperative period, but they were willing to fulfill their nursing responsibilities. It is possible that their acceptance of people with mental illness was positively influenced by an environment that allowed cooperation with the psychiatry department, as well as by the fact that the people with mental illness had stable mental health symptoms while hospitalized.
啓 et al. (Tue,) studied this question.