The impact of early information concerning the surgical operations on anxiety in patients with burns

Investigating the impact of patient-centered peer counseling on anxiety and pain among burn patients: A randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

Pain and anxiety are common complications in burn patients, significantly impacting treatment effectiveness and overall patient well-being. Peer counseling, a form of patient education provided by individuals with shared experiences, may hold potential to alleviate this pain and anxiety. This study seeks to investigate the effectiveness of patient-centered education through peer counseling on background pain and state anxiety levels in these patients.

METHODS

A two-arm, parallel, randomized, controlled trial design was employed. A total of 86 participants were randomly allocated to one of two groups: control and intervention groups. State anxiety and background pain levels were assessed using the Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), respectively, before and after intervention. Statistical analyses, including Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test, and paired t-test, were employed to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The intervention significantly reduced pain and anxiety in the intervention group compared to baseline (p < .001). There was no significant difference between the control and intervention groups in baseline levels, but there was a significant difference after the intervention (p < .001).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the efficacy of patient-centered education through peer counseling in reducing background pain and state anxiety levels in burn patients. Compared to standard education, peer counseling led to a more pronounced reduction in both pain and anxiety, suggesting its potential as a valuable nonpharmaceutical intervention to improve patient well-being during burn recovery.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Based on our findings, we recommend that healthcare providers consider implementing peer-based education programs in burn care settings.

The impact of delaying surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic overwhelmed health care systems, leading many jurisdictions to reduce surgeries to create capacity (beds and staff) to care for the surge of patients with COVID-19; little is known about the impact of this on patients whose surgery was delayed. The objective of this study was to understand the patient and family/caregiver perspective of having a surgery delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

Using an interpretative descriptive approach, we conducted interviews between Sept. 20 and Oct. 8, 2021. Adult patients who had their surgery delayed or cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta, Canada, and their family/caregivers were eligible to participate. Trained interviewers conducted semistructured interviews, which were iteratively analyzed by 2 independent reviewers using an inductive approach to thematic content analysis.

RESULTS

We conducted 16 interviews with 15 patients and 1 family member/caregiver, ranging from 27 to 75 years of age, with a variety of surgical procedures delayed. We identified 4 interconnected themes: individual-level impacts on physical and mental health, family and friends, work and quality of life; system-level factors related to health care resources, communication and perceived accountability within the system; unique issues related to COVID-19 (maintaining health and isolation); and uncertainty about health and timing of surgery.

INTERPRETATION

Although the decision to delay nonurgent surgeries was made to manage the strain on health care systems, our study illustrates the consequences of these decisions, which were diffuse and consequential. The findings of this study highlight the need to develop and adopt strategies to mitigate the burden of waiting for surgery during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.