Objective:

This study aimed to identify elective surgery patients' perceptions of their preoperative preparation.

Methods:

A qualitative, exploratory study was carried out. Ten semi-structured audio-recorded interviews were conducted with people who had undergone elective general surgery in the last six months at a university hospital in central Portugal. The content analysis technique was used to analyze the data.

Results:

Five thematic units emerged: perception of the surgical experience, perceived feelings/emotions, information needs, expectations towards preoperative nursing care, and perspectives on the existence of a nursing consultation. They were subdivided into several categories and subcategories.

Conclusions:

Surgery is still considered a traumatic experience, and the surgical environment causes stress. This study reinforces the relevance of nurses in the preoperative preparation of patients and can contribute considerably to structuring a nursing consultation.