Davidson Stephen, McKendrick Douglas, French Tara
Adult Mental Health Services, Pluscarden Clinic, Dr. Gray's Hospital, Elgin, Moray IV30 1SN, United Kingdom.
Department of Anesthetics, Dr. Gray's Hospital, Elgin, Moray IV30 1SN, United Kingdom.
Saudi J Anaesth. 2016 Oct-Dec;10(4):402-408. doi: 10.4103/1658-354X.177339.
It is widely recognized that patients have increased anxiety before elective surgery, however, previous research investigating the effect of preassessment clinics (PACs) on anxiety levels has been limited specifically to patient information literature or multimedia use, rather than the consultation process itself. The aim was to investigate the effect attendance at PAC had on patients' anxiety levels, associated with their subsequent surgery and anesthetic.
This survey consisted of a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based, quantitative study investigating patients' anxiety levels before and after attendance at the PAC. The questionnaire consisted of a series of statements concerning the surgery and anesthetic and rated using a Likert-type scale. All adult patients who attended an appointment at the PAC were eligible to participate in the study. Those unable to read and understand the questionnaire were excluded.
Overall 121 participants were included in the study. Participants felt less anxious about their subsequent surgery and anesthetic following consultation at the PAC ( < 0.001). This was true for both gender subgroups ( < 0.05) Concerns about intraoperative complications generated the most anxiety. Postoperatively, male participants were most anxious about pain and females about nausea and vomiting. Participants also reported high satisfaction rates for the service at the PAC.
This study contributes to a greater understanding of preoperative anxiety and has important implications for PACs. This clinical survey has been able to demonstrate that consultation at the PAC has a statistically significant positive effect on alleviating patients' anxieties in regards to their surgery and anesthetic.
人们普遍认识到，择期手术前患者的焦虑情绪会增加。然而，以往研究预评估诊所（PACs）对焦虑水平影响的研究仅限于患者信息文献或多媒体使用，而非咨询过程本身。目的是调查参加PACs对患者焦虑水平的影响，以及与随后的手术和麻醉的相关性。
本调查为横断面、基于问卷的定量研究，调查患者参加PACs前后的焦虑水平。问卷由一系列关于手术和麻醉的陈述组成，并采用李克特量表进行评分。所有在PACs预约就诊的成年患者均有资格参与本研究。无法阅读和理解问卷的患者被排除在外。
本研究共纳入121名参与者。在PACs咨询后，参与者对随后的手术和麻醉的焦虑感减轻（<0.001）。两个性别亚组均如此（<0.05）。对术中并发症的担忧引发的焦虑最多。术后，男性参与者最担心疼痛，女性则担心恶心和呕吐。参与者对PACs的服务也有很高的满意度。
本研究有助于更深入地了解术前焦虑，并对PACs具有重要意义。这项临床调查能够证明，在PACs进行咨询对减轻患者对手术和麻醉的焦虑具有统计学上的显著积极影响。
