Patient‐Reported Outcomes in Acute High‐Risk Abdominal Surgical Patients: Postdischarge Telephone Follow‐Up Calls

Background: Knowledge of the recovery of acute high‐risk abdominal (AHA) surgical patients after discharge is sparse. Discharge from hospital after emergency surgery can be a stressful experience due to serious illness, anxiety, pain, a life‐changing situation and new information. At discharge, patients may not fully comprehend the situation, and worries about how to cope at home without professional help may prove stressful. Aim: The aims of this study were to explore how patients undergoing AHA surgery experienced their physical and mental status during the first month after discharge and possible returning to daily activities and work, as well to explore whether nurse‐led telephone follow‐up was feasible after acute high‐risk surgery. Method: A single‐centre prospective study with an exploratory descriptive design. A total of 91 patients participated in the study. Quantitative data were collected using telephone follow‐up calls. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The main problem for patients was severe fatigue, but most patients regained normal life within 30 days after discharge. Patients’ positive statements about receiving a phone call after discharge and other findings demonstrate the feasibility of nurse‐led telephone follow‐up calls. Conclusion: Knowledge of how patients recover following AHA surgery can facilitate the targeting of discharge information to patients’ needs. Our study indicates that telephone follow‐up calls were feasible and beneficial for patients’ convalescence, but whether follow‐up affects the patient course regarding readmittance and complications needs to be investigated in the future. Contact to a nurse in the surgical specialty of gastroenterology seems to be important and can benefit patients’ convalescence.