Patients’ experiences and needs of undergoing holmium laser enucleation of the prostate in the surgical process: a qualitative study

This study aimed to investigate the real experience and specific needs of patients undergoing holmium laser enucleation of the prostate, to provide appropriate nursing strategies for reference in the perioperative management of patients undergoing this type of surgery. The descriptive phenomenological research method in qualitative research was selected for this study. Purposive sampling method was used to select 10 patients who underwent holmium laser enucleation of the prostate in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai from May to June 2023 for semi-structured interviews, and the results of the interviews were compiled and analyzed using the Colaizzi seven-step analysis method. The surgical process experience and needs of patients undergoing holmium laser enucleation of the prostate were summarized and organized into three major themes and eight minor themes: (i) overall perception of the preoperative surgical process (unexpected admission experience, uncertain preoperative waiting time, and inadequate preoperative informational support), (ii) complex intraoperative sensory experience (unfamiliar surgical staff, cold surgical environment, and noisy surgical sounds), and (iii) postoperative continuity of care needs (diverse forms of health education, personalized health education content). These findings recommend to strengthen preoperative education to enhance patients' cognitive preparedness, to improve intraoperative care by addressing complex environmental stimuli through humanistic nursing, and to provide diverse health education that supports continuity of care throughout the perioperative process. This will further improve the hospitalization experience of patients undergoing holmium laser enucleation of the prostate, meet practical needs, and provide a valuable reference for perioperative comfort management and nursing strategy development for this group of patients undergoing HoLEP.