A Descriptive Study of the Surgical Nurse Liaison's (SNL) Role from the Perspectives of Patients and Their Families in Alleviating Anxiety during a Surgical Procedure

Surgery is stressful for both patients and their families.  During a surgical procedure, patients require complex and specialized care, but their family members may also need attention due to their own unique stressors while in the hospital.  An understanding of their perioperative experience allows the nurse to provide compassionate and competent care.  This qualitative study evaluates whether the role of a surgical nurse liaison (SNL) in the perioperative area alleviates patients’ and families’ anxiety and improves their experience during a surgical procedure. The study utilizes a descriptive approach to elicit the thoughts and feelings of six patients and six family members and allow them to describe their experience with the SNL. The study identifies five themes related to specialized practices of the SNL across the perioperative continuum. Patients and their families recognize that the relationship formed with an SNL makes an impact on the quality of their perioperative experience.