The importance of nonverbal communication during the preanesthesia period

This article discusses the phenomenon of nonverbal communication as evidenced between preoperative patients and the nurses attending them. Ten such patients and the nursing group assigned to them were directly observed for frequency of nonverbal interaction during the period immediately preceding surgery. Patients' nonverbal expressions of tension, fear, anxiety, and so on were noted, videotaped, and then analyzed according to three categories of interaction: positive, neutral, and negative. Of 2,173 registered nonverbal interactions, 65.1% (1,416) were rated as negative, a finding that should alert nurses to the need to identify patients' manifestations of anxiety so as to provide assurance and a sense of courage preceding surgery. Positive means of communicating nonverbally are discussed.