Anxiety and postoperative recovery in ambulatory surgery patients.

There has been a growing trend toward one-day ambulatory surgery. Unfortunately, there has been little research evaluating how patients recover at home after one-day surgery. This study examined the relationship between preoperative anxiety and postoperative recovery in ambulatory surgery patients. Fifty women who were scheduled for a laparascopy completed a series of questionnaires on the day before surgery and on each of three days after surgery. One month after surgery, the patients were telephoned and reported on their recovery. The surgeon rated each patient on their estimated degree of anxiety and length of recovery. The results showed that preoperative anxiety partially predicted the patients' psychological and physiological reaction to surgery. Identification of those patients who show high anxiety and distress may help to prevent postoperative complications. These patients may benefit from patient education and psychological interventions to decrease their fears and anxiety and they may benefit from more intensive observation periods following their surgery.