Nurse anesthetists' strategies in reducing patients' fear and anxiety before surgery - A systematic review.

BACKGROUND

Nurse anesthetists (NAs) face several challenges in their work, one of which is dealing with patients who experience anxiety and fear before surgery. The increased patient turnover and a shortage of healthcare professionals lead to a heavier focus on physical care, thus leaving limited time to address the psychological needs of patients.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to critically evaluate and compile research that describes the things NAs use in reducing patients' fear and anxiety before surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Medline, CHINAL, Embase, and the Cochrane Library database for qualitative and quantitative literature regarding factors influencing patients' wellbeing before surgery. An inductive thematic analysis generated categories and subcategories. Twenty-one studies were included.

RESULTS

The thematic analysis of the articles included revealed two main categories and six subcategories. Some strategies identified to help reduce fear and anxiety in patients before surgery included providing various types of information, offering psychological support, using different relaxation techniques, and ensuring that each patient is allocated sufficient time.

CONCLUSION

The results of the presented study showed that strategies such as providing different forms of information, psychological support, and different relaxation therapies gave good results. However, there is a need for further research in health care to identify which nonpharmacological nursing interventions are most effective in alleviating preoperative anxiety. More research is also needed to determine how preoperative care should be structured to help patients feel safe and comfortable before surgery.