Development and Validation of a Preoperative Nursing Consultation Model: A Delphi Study

Purpose: This study aimed to validate the structure and content of a preoperative nursing consultation model for elective general surgery patients.

Design: A Delphi study was conducted with experts to validate a five-dimension preoperative nursing consultation model.

Methods: A 2-round Delphi study was conducted in 2022 involved 20 experts. The experts were asked to complete an online 48-item questionnaire rated on a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from totally disagree to totally agree. Participants were ensured anonymity and confidentiality. Consensus was identified as 80% agreement. The experts also made suggestions or comments, based on which the questionnaire was reformulated for round 2. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 25.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics).

Findings: The response rate was 100% in round 1 and 95% in round 2. After round 1, a consensus was reached on 35 items. The experts submitted the following dimensions for analysis: Requirements for the consultation, Patient welcoming and assessment, Information for the patient (and family member or significant person, if applicable), Summary of the consultation, and Documentation of the consultation.

Conclusions: The consensus among the experts allowed for the development of a specific intervention in the form of a preoperative nursing consultation. The validated intervention should be implemented and its impact on the quality of care assessed, particularly in elective general surgery.