[Effects of using an information leaflet in reducing perioperative anxiety and pain in patients undergoing urological...

The preoperative anxiety state is mainly caused by the fear of the circumstances surrounding the intervention. Anxiety causes increased postoperative pain, and a prolonged length of stay in hospital, which directly affect the cost of care.

To evaluate the effects of providing an anaesthesia information leaflet on postoperative anxiety and pain in patients undergoing urological surgery in the Miguel Servet Hospital.

A prospective quasi-experimental study of 100 cases, 51 of whom made up the intervention group who received the information leaflet, with the remaining 49 cases being in the control group. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the visual analogue scale for pain were assessed in both groups, before and after surgery.

Of the 100 patients, 72% were male and 28% female, with an average age of 67.3 years (standard deviation, 9.7). In the intervention group, 21.6% showed anxiety before surgery and 0% in the postoperative period. In the control group 30.6% presented anxiety during the preoperative period and 4% in the postoperative period (χ(2) Pearson 5.20, P=.023). The study showed a direct relationship between preoperative anxiety and postoperative pain (χ(2) Pearson 10.519, P=.001).

Good information about the surgical process reduces anxiety levels in the postoperative period.