Preoperation interviews: a nursing intervention to reduce patients' anxiety.

A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effect of preoperative interviews on patients' anxiety levels. A convenience sample of 60 was assigned between two groups of equal size: a treatment group in which subjects were interviewed by a perioperative nurse or a control group in which subjects were not interviewed. All subjects completed state-trait Anxiety Inventory questionnaires. Group comparison using analysis of covariance showed subjects who were interviewed by the perioperative nurse reported significantly less anxiety than control group subjects.