Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Aug 1;156(8):758-765.
doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.1557.

Understanding the Meaning of Recovery to Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery

Fateme Rajabiyazdi  1   2   3 , Roshni Alam  1   2 , Aditya Pal  1 , Joel Montanez  4 , Susan Law  4 , Nicolò Pecorelli  5 , Yusuke Watanabe  6 , Luciana D Chiavegato  7 , Massimo Falconi  5 , Satoshi Hirano  6 , Nancy E Mayo  8   9   10 , Lawrence Lee  1   2   10 , Liane S Feldman  1   2   10 , Julio F Fiore Jr  1   2   10
Affiliations

Understanding the Meaning of Recovery to Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery

Fateme Rajabiyazdi et al. JAMA Surg. .

Abstract

Importance: Postoperative recovery is difficult to define or measure. Research addressing interventions aimed to improve recovery after abdominal surgery often focuses on measures such as duration of hospital stay and complication rates. Although these clinical parameters are relevant, understanding patients' perspectives regarding postoperative recovery is fundamental to guiding patient-centered care.

Objective: To elucidate the meaning of recovery from the perspective of patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

Design, setting, and participants: This international qualitative study involved semistructured interviews with patients recovering from abdominal surgery from October 2016 to November 2018 in tertiary hospitals in 4 countries (Canada, Italy, Brazil, and Japan). A purposive maximal variation sampling method was used to ensure the recruitment of patients with varying demographic, clinical, and surgical characteristics. Data on race were not collected. Each interview lasted between 1 and 2 hours. Interviews were recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were then analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Data analysis was conducted from July 2019 to September 2019.

Main outcomes and measures: The qualitative analysis revealed themes reflecting the meaning of recovery from the perspective of patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

Results: Thirty patients recovering from abdominal surgery were interviewed (15 [50%] female; mean [SD] age, 57 [18] years; 10 [33%] underwent major surgery; 16 [53%] underwent laparoscopic surgery). The interviews revealed that for patients undergoing abdominal surgery, the meaning of recovery embodied 5 overarching themes: (1) returning to habits and routines, (2) resolution of symptoms, (3) overcoming mental strains, (4) regaining independence, and (5) enjoying life. Themes associating the meaning of recovery to traditional parameters, such as earlier hospital discharge or absence of complications, were not identified in the interviews.

Conclusions and relevance: This qualitative study suggests that the meaning of recovery from the perspective of patients undergoing abdominal surgery goes beyond traditional clinical parameters. The elements of recovery identified in this study should be taken into account in patient-surgeon discussions about recovery and when developing patient-centered strategies to improve postoperative outcomes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Rajabiyazdi reports grants from Merck Canada and was supported by studentships offered by Mitacs Canada during the conduct of the study. Dr Alam reports grants from Mitacs Canada during the conduct of the study. Dr Watanabe reports personal fees from Covidien Japan, Johnson & Johnson, AMCO, and Olympus and consulting from Iwasaki Industry outside the submitted work. Dr Lee reports grants from Johnson & Johnson outside the submitted work. Dr Fiore reports grants from Merck Canada during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure.
Figure.. Themes and Subthemes Concerning the Meaning of Recovery After Abdominal Surgery
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Quality of Health Care in America . Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century. National Academies Press; 2001. - PubMed
    1. Lusk JM, Fater K. A concept analysis of patient-centered care. Nurs Forum. 2013;48(2):89-98. doi:10.1111/nuf.12019 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barry MJ, Edgman-Levitan S. Shared decision making: pinnacle of patient-centered care. N Engl J Med. 2012;366(9):780-781. doi:10.1056/NEJMp1109283 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hatchimonji JS, Sisti DA, Martin ND. Surgical futility and patient-centered care: the effects of human nature in decision making. Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons. Published November 1, 2016. Accessed January 29, 2021. https://bulletin.facs.org/2016/11/surgical-futility-and-patient-centered... - PubMed
    1. Steiner CA, Karaca Z, Moore BJ, Imshaug MC, Pickens G. Surgeries in hospital-based ambulatory surgery and hospital inpatient settings, 2014. Revised July 2020. Accessed April 6, 2021. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms