Consensual Validation of the Nursing Diagnoses Fear and Anxiety Identified at the Immediate Preoperative Period in Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery

Abstract

PURPOSE. To identify the most frequent defining characteristics (DCs) for the diagnoses fear and anxiety in Brazilian patients in the immediate preoperative period following elective cardiac surgery; to develop conceptual and operational definitions for the DCs; to develop consensual validation.METHODS. Clinical and observational, descriptive study developed in two phases.FINDINGS. Forty DCs were identified for fear and 19 for anxiety. One expert judged it necessary to include altered bowel motility as a DC for fear. There was 100% agreement among the five experts in relation to the DCs.CONCLUSIONS. To add altered bowel motility to the DCs for the nursing diagnosis fear.IMPLICATIONS for PRACTICE. To enable nurses to more accurately assess patients for these diagnoses.