Qualitative Study on the Information Needs of Patients Undergoing Da Vinci Robotic Surgery

Abstract

To explore the information needs and experiences of patients who underwent Da Vinci robotic surgery and to establish a reference for providing information support to these patients. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 patients who underwent robotic surgery. Thematic analysis was subsequently executed on the data obtained from the interviews to identify the themes. Thematic analysis generated two main themes with six supporting sub-themes. The main themes were (1) surgical information acquisition experience and (2) the need for personalization to obtain satisfactory information. Patients who received Da Vinci robotic surgery had insufficient understanding of the surgical methods and possessed high demand for surgical-related information. Although patients’ understanding of robotic surgery might be improved through multi-channel information support, due to the differences in patient access to information, personalized experiences would occur during this process. Professional information support could effectively enhance their positive psychological experiences with surgery.