Preassessment clinic interview and patient anxiety

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Surgical Patient Care
• Psychological Medicine

Background:

• Preoperative anxiety is common in patients undergoing elective surgery.
• Limited research has explored the impact of preassessment clinic (PAC) consultations on patient anxiety.
• Existing studies often focus on informational materials rather than the consultation process itself.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of attending a PAC on patients' anxiety levels related to surgery and anesthesia.
• To assess the impact of the PAC consultation process on preoperative anxiety.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based quantitative study was conducted.
• 121 adult patients attending a PAC were included.
• Anxiety levels were measured using a Likert-type scale before and after the PAC consultation.

Main Results:

• PAC consultations led to a statistically significant reduction in patient anxiety (P < 0.001).
• Anxiety reduction was observed across both male and female subgroups (P < 0.05).
• Concerns about intraoperative complications were the primary source of anxiety, while postoperative concerns varied by gender (pain for males, nausea/vomiting for females).

Conclusions:

• PAC consultations have a significant positive effect on alleviating preoperative anxiety.
• Findings underscore the importance of PACs in managing patient anxiety before surgery and anesthesia.
• High patient satisfaction rates were reported for the PAC service.