Harmful Stressors in the Post-anesthesia Care Ward in 2017: Comparison of the Views of Patients and Nurses

The Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) is potentially a stressful hospital unit. Due to experiencing stressors in this unit, patients show psychological and emotional responses that may adversely affect their health, recovery, and rehabilitation. This study aims to compare the perceptions of nurses and patients about the stressors in PACUs.

This descriptive study was performed on 60 nurses and 384 patients in PACUs of two hospitals in Shahrekord, Iran. Nurses were selected by a census method. For patients, the sample size was determined using the formula. Data collection tool was a researcher-made PACU stressor scale. Collected data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 18 by using descriptive and inferential statistics such as t-test and Pearson correlation test.

The mean±SD scores of the stressor scale were 67.5±5.5 and 68.02±12.5 for nurses and patients, respectively (P>0.05). Both patients and nurses perceived thirst and pain as the most important PACU stressors. For nurses, “not respecting for patient privacy” was highly important, while it was the least important stressor for patients.

Nurses and patients have almost similar perceptions about top ten stressors in PACUs. However, nurses seems to need more training on how to assess and eliminate the PACU patients’ stressors.