Abstract
Rapid medical progress during the last decade has resulted in more people than ever before waiting for diagnostic procedures and operations. The aim of this study was to identify and elucidate patients' experiences of waiting to undergo an operation for carotid stenosis. Nine patients who were all waiting for the operation were interviewed. The interviews were analysed with qualitative content analysis. The results from the analysis were presented as two themes. One theme was to wait and feel secure ground and the other was to wait and feel insecure ground. All of the patients were hovering in a higher or lesser degree between these two extremes. Waiting was both being seen as normal and controllable and as an ordeal and a trial. The result of this study shows that the patients are using different kinds of coping-strategies to manage the waiting-time before the operation. These strategies were both of an active and problem-solving nature as well as of an emotional nature. When caring for these patients it is important to strengthen the patients who experienced the waiting-time as insecure when feelings of stress, uneasiness and anxiety were prominent. It is important that nurses find out how the patient has experienced the waiting-time and when it is considered necessary give the patient extra-time to express his feelings and thoughts.