Association between the perspective of adult inpatients with digestive cancer regarding the nursing service and their quality of recovery on postoperative day 3.

Although qualitative research that focuses on inpatients' experience immediately after surgery has continued to elucidate the efficacy of the nursing service for postoperative recovery, there has been little quantitative research. Our aim was to quantitatively clarify the association between inpatients' perception of the nursing service and the quality of postoperative recovery. Seventy-one digestive cancer patients who underwent surgery were recruited. Participants completed two self-administered questionnaires, including the Japanese version of the 40-item postoperative Quality of Recovery scale (QoR-40J) and the Nursing Service Quality Scale for Japan (NURSERV-J) which has 22 items and five dimensions (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy) on postoperative day 3. There were significant positive associations between the global scores of the NURSERV-J and the QoR-40J. The global score of the QoR-40J was compared between patients who gave full marks for each dimension of the NURSERV-J (the entirely satisfied group) and those who did not (the not entirely satisfied group). The entirely satisfied groups regarding tangibles, reliability and responsiveness had a significantly higher global score for the QoR-40J than the respective not entirely satisfied groups. Adjusted for age, gender, operative procedure, and duration of surgery, the entirely satisfied groups regarding tangibles and responsiveness had a significant higher global score for the QoR-40J than the respective not entirely satisfied groups. Patients who perceived that they had received a nursing service of high quality were likely to attain a high quality of postoperative recovery. Nursing services related to tangibles, reliability, and responsiveness especially contributed to postoperative recovery.

Acceptance and perception of percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy by patients with upper aerodigestive tract cancer.

Surgeons have identified a role for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) in selected patients with upper aerodigestive tract cancer, but little is known about the patient's acceptance and perception of PEG. Nineteen patients with upper aerodigestive tract cancer had placement of a PEG and were asked about their perceptions via a series of descriptors and associated questions. The 13 patients who had PEG placement under local anaesthesia and intravenous midazolam were questioned 12-16 h later and reported that the procedure was comfortable and not as bad as expected. These patients together with a further 6 patients who had placement under general anaesthesia were questioned about their acceptance of the PEG tube after 10 days. Comfort, ease of use and maintenance, and coverage by clothing confirms that PEG is an acceptable delivery system for enteral nutrition in patients with upper aerodigestive tract cancer.