Preoperative Anxiety among Adult Patients Undergoing Elective Surgeries at a Tertiary Teaching Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study during the Era of COVID-19 Vaccination

The Delicate Dance of Intraoperative Anesthesia: Addressing Patient and Anesthesiologist Concerns

Background In the realm of surgical procedures, patients and anesthesiologists have distinct concerns that can have an impact on their relationship. Patients are often riddled with anxiety about the unknowns of anesthesia and the possible risks. Anesthesiologists, too, face their own set of concerns. Despite the importance of this interaction, there has been little research on the specific concerns of both parties. Our study aims to fill this gap by describing and comparing the concerns of patients and anesthesiologists in Jordan. Methodology This cross-sectional study evaluated anesthesia-related problems based on specific questionnaires. The responses to the questionnaires were on a voluntary basis. The consent of the participants was granted after the aims of the study were clarified. Data were collected and analyzed using SPSS version 28 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results A total of 155 Jordanian anesthesiologists and 1,858 participants from the population who had undergone anesthesia participated in the study. In general anesthesia, over 60% of the anesthesiologists were most worried about ventilation and intubation difficulties during anesthesia induction and death at the end of anesthesia. Regarding regional anesthesia, the primary concerns included toxicity from local anesthesia infiltration (64.5%) and total spinal anesthesia (49.0%). Patients were concerned about various anesthesia-related scenarios, with the highest worries about pain (3.41/4), a sharp drop in vital signs (3.40/4), and an irregular heartbeat (3.39/4). Female patients, those with lower incomes, and those with a bachelor's degree reported higher anesthesia concern levels. Additionally, anesthesiologists' mean concern score was significantly lower than that of patients. Conclusions Patients concentrated on pain, a drop in vital signs, and irregular heartbeats, whereas anesthesiologists were worried about ventilation, intubation, and hypoxia. Patients placed more emphasis on personal experiences and social factors than technical issues. Therefore, patient education about anesthesia and discussion about intra and postoperative expectations are imperative to improve the surgical experience and the relationship between patients and anesthesiologists.

Patient-reported perioperative anaesthesia-related anxiety is associated with impaired patient satisfaction: a secondary analysis from a prospective observational study in Switzerland

Perioperative anxiety is common. The relationship between anxiety and patient satisfaction with anaesthesia is still under debate. We assessed the prevalence and different causes of anaesthesia-related fears leading to perioperative anxiety and its association with patient satisfaction. A multiple-time validated, psychometrically developed questionnaire assessing the presence of anxiety, causes of fear, and different dimensions of patient satisfaction was sent to patients after discharge. The clinical data were obtained from a previous study. The sample size was calculated to recruit a minimum of 300 completed questionnaires. Statistical analyses included multivariate logistic regression models. Complete data were available for 474 of the 600 patients recruited for the study (response rate: 79%). A total of 141 patients (30%) reported anxiety regarding anaesthesia before hospital admission. The prevalence of anxiety was significantly associated with patient age (< 54 years: n = 196, prevalence = 37%; > 54 years: n = 263, prevalence = 24%; p = 0.002), female sex (female: n = 242, prevalence 39%; male: n = 223, prevalence 20%; p < 0.001), and surgical speciality (gynaecology (n = 61, prevalence = 49%), otolaryngology (n = 56, prevalence = 46%); p < 0.001). Fear of not awakening from anaesthesia (n = 44, prevalence = 32%, SD 45.8) and developing postoperative nausea or vomiting (n = 42, prevalence = 30%, SD 46.0) were the most reported anaesthesia-related causes of fear. Anxiety was associated with impaired overall patient satisfaction (mean dissatisfaction score 15%, versus 23%, SD 16.3 in the anxious group, SD 16.3, p < 0.001), especially regarding the dimensions "information and involvement in decision-making" (14% of deficits stated in the non-anxious group compared to 23% in the anxious group, p < 0.001), "respect and trust" (2% vs 6.26%, p < 0.001) and "continuity of care" (50% vs 57%, p < 0.015). Patient-reported anaesthesia-related anxiety is common and may affect important outcome parameters such as patient satisfaction. Abstract presented in e-poster format at Euroanaesthesia 2023, June 3-5, Glasgow.

The Fear of Surgery and Coronavirus in Patients Who Will Undergo a Surgical Intervention

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine the fear of surgery and Coronavirus in patients who will undergo a surgical intervention.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional study.

METHODS

This study was carried out with 103 patients who were hospitalized in the thoracic and cardiovascular surgery departments of a university hospital between July and December 2021 and underwent elective cardiac/thoracic surgery for various indications. The Patient Information Form, Surgical Fear Questionnaire, and Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fear Scale were used to collect data. One hundred three patients were reached within the scope of the study. Data were analyzed with the Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis tests and Spearman's correlation analysis in IBM SPSS (V.22.0) program.

FINDINGS

The mean age of the participants was 57.8 ± 14.0 years (19-82), 68.0% (n = 70) were male, and 78.7% (n = 81) underwent thoracic surgery. The total mean score of the patients on the Surgical Fear Scale was 26.9 ± 20.5 while the total mean score on the Coronavirus Fear Scale was 18.2 ± 7.5. A weak positive correlation was identified between the patients' total score averages on the Surgical Fear Scale and the Coronavirus Fear Scale (COVID-19) (P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery had a low fear of surgery and a close to moderate fear of Coronavirus. Patients' fears of surgery and Coronavirus should be determined before surgery, and psychological support should be provided to patients with high levels of fear.