Holistic comfort measures in the alleviation of anxiety of preoperative patients / Karen Nikki B. Dimapilis, Dannica Joy M. Dionisio, Roxanne S. Dy, Geralie D. Geria, Mary Estiffany C. Herrmann, Angelique Flor S. Martinez, Jan Patrick T. Martinez, Don Jemuel J. Morales, Hernand Ray D. Ocampo, Roda B. Payumo, Genicel D. Placido, Kris Charmaine G. Sumagit

The researchers determined the extent of providing holistic comfort measures in terms of physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual care to preoperative patients and the level of their anxiety when these interventions were rendered. Furthermore, they have utilized descriptive-correlational research design to determine the relationship between the two variables: provision of holistic comfort measures by the nurses and the anxiety of preoperative patients. Utilizing purposive sampling technique, the researchers have identified 60 preoperative patients who were chosen as qualified respondents of this study. The researchers decided that the respondents of this research must be female, between 20-60 years old and under scheduled operation of major abdominal surgery. In addition, it must be the first time of the respondents to have a surgery and must have at least 1-2 days of confinement in the hospital. Questionnaires on holistic comfort measures were adapted from the study of Leocadio (2008) on "Towards the Enlightening Model of Lydia Hall's Care, Cure, Core Model using the Perspective of ARUGA for the holistic Nursing Needs of Filipino Patients". This was used to evaluate the holistic comfort measures in terms of physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual care of nurses being given to preoperative patients and the Zung self-rating anxiety scale was utilized to measure the level of anxiety of patients as they were being provided with these interventions. Gathered data were tabulated, collated and processed using appropriate statistical tools which was comprised of the weighted mean, the standard deviation, the Pearson correlation (r) and 0.01 level of significance to determine the acceptance or rejection of the hypotheses. The result of the study shows that the extent of providing holistic comfort measures in terms of physical (x = 3.11), mental (x = 3.10), emotional (x = 2.96), and social (x = 2.84) were at moderate level. On the other hand, spiritual comfort measures (x = 1.90) were rendered at a low level. Furthermore, the anxiety of the preoperative patients as they were being provided with the comfort measures is in mild level (x = 1.72). In addition, the result of physical (p-value = 0.003; r-value = -0.382); mental (p-value = 0.00; r-value = -0.358); emotional (p-value = 0.004; r-value = -0.367) and social (p-value = 0.005; r-value = -0.358) made the researchers reject the null hypothesis and these findings entail that there was a significant negative correlation in rendering these interventions to the level of anxiety of preoperative patients. Conversely, the spiritual comfort measure (p-value = 0.115; r-value = 0.206) accepted the null hypothesis and implied that there was no significant relationship in rendering spiritual care to the level of anxiety to the preoperative patients. Based from the analysis and interpretation drawn from the results, the researchers concluded that the higher the extent of rendering physical, mental, emotional and social comfort measures the lower the level of anxiety of the preoperative patients. Alternatively, delivering spiritual comfort measures to the preoperative patients will not have any effect on the level of their anxiety. Spiritual comfort measures were seldom rendered by the nurses since this aspect is abstract in its nature and intangible, not to mention that the patients have a wide diversity of beliefs and cultures inclined with their religion. These intangible needs have frequently been given a much lower priority than needs which are more obvious and more easily measurable like physical, mental, emotional and social needs. The researchers would like to amplify the importance of rendering spiritual interventions to achieve holistic nursing care. Likewise, the researchers recommend this study to the nursing administrations, nursing institutions and training services to include a program that will enhance the knowledge, skills and ability of health care provider, particularly the nurses to boost their competence in giving spiritual comfort measures as part of holistic nursing care. Acquiring additional special knowledge and skills on holistic comfort measures and ability in this aspect will eventually generate an undemanding, effortless and acclimatized attitude of nurses towards alleviation of anxiety among pre-operative patients.

General Education.