Preoperative Anxiety in Chinese Adult Patients Undergoing Elective Surgeries: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Preoperative anxiety is associated with increased use of anesthetics and poorer postoperative outcomes. However, the prevalence of preoperative anxiety has not been characterized in Chinese patients. In this study, we aimed to estimate the overall prevalence of preoperative anxiety in Chinese adult patients and to explore the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with preoperative anxiety in China.

This study was a multicenter cross-sectional study conducted at 32 tertiary referral centers in China from September 1 to October 31, 2020. Adult patients scheduled for elective surgery were evaluated by the 7-item Perioperative Anxiety Scale (PAS-7) for preoperative anxiety after entrance to the operating zone.

A total of 5191 patients were recruited, and 5018 of them were analyzed. The prevalence of preoperative anxiety measured by PAS-7 was 15.8% (95% CI 14.8 to 16.9%). Multivariable analyses showed female sex, younger age, non-retired, first in a lifetime surgery, surgery of higher risk, and poorer preoperative sleep were associated with higher prevalence of preoperative anxiety.

Preoperative anxiety was relatively common (prevalence of 15.8%) among adult Chinese patients undergoing elective surgeries. Further studies are needed using suitable assessment tools to better characterize preoperative anxiety, and additional focus should be placed on perioperative education and intervention, especially in primary hospitals.

This study was registered prospectively at www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR1900027639) on November 22, 2019.