[Patient anxiety and satisfaction in coloproctological operations]

Patients' emotional internal views related to coloproctological operations were examined, especially the relation between anxieties and satisfaction with treatment, including possible moderator variables such as age, gender, and control beliefs.

For 328 patients with operations on the rectum versus colon operations, intensity of anxiety, quality of anxiety, and their course was assessed. Likewise, satisfaction with medical care, subjective success of treatment, as well as control beliefs regarding illness and health were measured. The data were analyzed by means of analysis of (co-)variance, regression analysis, and discriminatory analysis.

The emotional internal view turned out to have a greater influence than the objective severity of the operation. This also concerns specific, coloproctology-related contents of anxiety (e.g., anxieties concerning an anus praeter). For coping with anxiety, variables of a "talking medicine" are relevant. For this purpose, engaged communicative nursing care is important, though it cannot compensate for deficiencies in doctor-patient-communication. The latter must take into account the higher intensity of anxiety among younger patients as well as feelings of insecurity related to the hospital dismissal.

These findings suggest the following improvements: the information provided by the physician should be more sophisticated, the clarification of diagnosis should take place as soon as possible, and the communication of the diagnosis should be combined with the reinforcement of internal control beliefs. This should apply to the transition to outpatient treatment as well.