Stressful events in the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery: a patient perspective

Background: Coronary artery bypass graft surgery is a physically and mentally exhausting procedure. Additionally, intensive care unit (ICU) admission following surgery exposes patients to stressors that physically and psychologically negatively impact patient recovery. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted through direct interview with patients recovering from cardiac surgery at Prince Mohammed bin Nasser Hospital in Jazan province, using a questionnaire composed of 23 different stressors that might affect patients when they are in critical care following heart surgery and asking them to rate those stressors on a Likert scale of 0 to 4. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. Results:We included 38 patients in our study, and they reported that pain (M = 1.94, SD = 1.69) was the most stressful occurrence in the ICU postoperatively, followed by loneliness and family concernswith (M = 1.86, SD = 1.72) and (M = 1.86, SD = 1.66), receptively. However, the least stressful factor for patients is doctors and nurses conversing (M = 0.18, SD = 0.69). Conclusion: Being in pain was considered the most stressful factor, followed by being alone and family concerns. It should be noted that the pain may be addressed by the ICU team. Further research can be done to investigate if there are additional or different stressors that could be experienced by the patients. With the use of such information, nursing leaders may be better able to manage the stress of patients in intensive care.