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
. 2024 Dec 30;16(12):e76624.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.76624. eCollection 2024 Dec.

Nurses' Recognition and Care of Thirst in Perioperative Patients in Japan

Mariko Hanashiro  1   2 , Mayu Fukuda  1 , Tomoko Akase  1
Affiliations

Nurses' Recognition and Care of Thirst in Perioperative Patients in Japan

Mariko Hanashiro et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Purpose: Postoperative thirst is common and distressing to patients, as is pain and nausea. The causes of postoperative thirst are complex and include factors like preoperative fasting, perioperative fluid loss, and certain anesthesia medications. Effective care for postoperative thirst has been shown in post-anesthesia care units (PACUs), but many Japanese hospitals lack PACUs or do not address thirst in their PACUs. Therefore, cooperation between the operating room and ward nurses is crucial for providing proper care for postoperative thirst. The purpose of this study was to clarify the actual situation of ward nurses' and operating room nurses' recognition and care of thirst in postoperative patients.

Methods: The study was a cross-sectional survey conducted using a self-administered questionnaire based on previous research. Study participants were nurses working in surgical wards and operating rooms of two university-affiliated hospitals. The survey items included (1) participants' characteristics, (2) recognition of thirst in perioperative patients, and (3) actual care provided to perioperative patients for thirst. Data were collected between September and October 2022 and subjected to descriptive and bivariate analysis.

Findings: A total of 298 ward nurses and 43 operating room nurses were included in the study. Among the observation items, thirst was observed least frequently. Both ward nurses and operating room nurses recognized patient thirst based on complaints rather than physical observations. Sharing of information about patient thirst differed between ward nurses and operating room nurses. None of the participants used scales or scores to evaluate thirst. The most common postoperative care in the ward was "They were asked to do a mouthwash with water," while in the operating room, it was "Placed a moistened gauze against the mouth." The reasons for selecting a particular type of care were primarily based on "Because of the patient's wishes" and "I think it is effective," while the reasons for not providing care included "Because there is an instruction not to drink water," "Due to the possibility of aspiration," "I don't have the knowledge and don't know how," and "I'm busy with other work."

Conclusions: Regarding the recognition of thirst, both ward nurses and operating room nurses recognized patient thirst most often when the patient directly reported feeling thirsty. They relied more on patients' verbal complaints than physical observations to recognize thirst. Both surgical ward nurses and operating room nurses provided care based on their experience.

Keywords: nursing research; post-anesthesia care unit; postoperative thirst; quality-of-care; recognition.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Yokohama City University Research Ethics Committee for Life Sciences and Medicine issued approval No. F220900001. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: Research grant from the Yokohama Academic Foundation. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Postoperative observation items in routine practice.
Surgical ward nurses (n=298), operating room nurses (n=43). 4: Always observe, 3: Sometimes observe, 2: Rarely observe, 1: Never observe. Light bars: Surgical ward nurses, Black bars: Operating room nurses.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Timing of nurses recognize the patient’s thirst.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Sharing of nursing information about patients’ thirst, n (%).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Evaluation of the intensity and discomfort of perioperative thirst. Pierotti I, Fracarolli IFL, Fonseca LF, Aroni P. Escola Anna Nery. 2018;22:0.
    1. Assessment strategies for the management of thirst in the post-anesthetic recovery room. Aroni P, Nascimento LAD, Fonseca LF. Acta Paul Enferm. 2012;25:530–536.
    1. Perioperative thirst: an analysis from the perspective of the Symptom Management Theory. Conchon MF, Nascimento LA, Fonseca LF, Aroni P. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2015;49:122–128. - PubMed
    1. Practice of perioperative oral management. Kishimoto H. Jpn J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2017;63:9–14.
    1. Reducing preoperative fasting time: a trend based on evidence. de Aguilar-Nascimento JE, Dock-Nascimento DB. World J Gastrointest Surg. 2010;2:57–60. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources