Anxiety in candidates for radical prostatectomy in a university hospital

Metabolic changes caused by anxiety can interfere in both the surgery itself and the recovery process. One way to reassure the patient is to clarify how the procedure will be performed and discuss the possible complications. This study aimed to investigate the anxiety level of candidates for radical prostatectomy at a university hospital.

Thirty-four patients with a diagnosis of prostate cancer were studied prospectively. Data collection involved the administration of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and a radical prostatectomy knowledge test.

The results showed that 94.1% of the patients reported having received clarifications from the physician or healthcare team regarding the surgery and 23.5% reported having received information on the probability of a medical error during surgery. The most cited postoperative complications were sexual impotence and urinary incontinence. A significant association was found between the total Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score and the complications cited (p=0.0004); patients who marked a larger number of possible complications had a higher Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score.

The present study demonstrates that the explanations given by the multidisciplinary health team are not achieving their maximum potential in terms of lowering patient anxiety.