Abstract
The purpose of this study is to clarify the present conditions and problems with the kind of support is provided for a families waiting during operations. We conducted an unsigned questionnaire of 975 hospitals which have more than 300 beds as well as their anesthesia department. The survey was carried out from January through February in 2006. Together with the questionnaire, we attached documents describing the objectives of our research, adding that answering the questionnaire was voluntary and we would not publicly disclose the names of the institutions for ethical reasons. In advance, approval was obtained from the Ehime Prefectural University of Health Sciences Ethical Review Board. We received responses from 556 hospitals out of the 975 surveyed, a response rate of 57.1%. Of these, only 42 hospitals(7.6%)offered the some kind of support for families waiting during operations, while remaining 508(91.4%)have none at all. After all, less than 10% of the hospitals which answered our questionnaires offered some kind of support. By supporting families waiting during operations, nurses can meet the need of those families and improve their nursing quality as well as enhance the nurses' sense of effectiveness. The problem is whether medical staff including doctor could be more aware of this and cooperate in supporting these families.
