Preoperative Needs-Based Education to Reduce Anxiety, Increase Satisfaction, and Decrease Time Spent in Day Surgery:...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Psychology
• Surgical Care

Background:

• Inadequate or excessive patient education can escalate preoperative anxiety.
• Needs-based patient education tailors information delivery to individual patient requirements.
• This study investigates the efficacy of needs-based versus traditional patient education in managing preoperative anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of needs-based patient education against traditional methods in reducing preoperative anxiety.
• To evaluate the impact of needs-based education on patient satisfaction and the time allocated for education.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, multicenter, single-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted.
• 450 patients undergoing day surgery were randomized into needs-based (study) or traditional (control) education groups.
• Patient anxiety and satisfaction were assessed via questionnaires at multiple time points.

Main Results:

• Both education methods led to significant reductions in anxiety and increases in satisfaction.
• Needs-based education demonstrated a greater decrease in anxiety (p=0.001) and a larger increase in satisfaction (p<0.001) compared to traditional education.
• The needs-based group required significantly less education time (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Needs-based patient education is superior to traditional methods for decreasing anxiety.
• This approach also enhances patient satisfaction and optimizes education time.
• Needs-based education represents a more effective strategy for preoperative patient preparation.