EFFECTS OF PREOPERATIVE COUNSELLING ON PATIENT ANXIETY LEVEL AND RECOVERY OUTCOMES

Abstract

A prevalent psychological issue among surgical patients, preoperative anxiety can have a detrimental effect on perioperative experiences, patient cooperation, and recovery results. Prior to surgery, patients may benefit from improved psychological preparation, decreased anxiety, and improved understanding through effective communication and structured preoperative counseling. The purpose of this study was to assess how structured preoperative counseling affected surgical patients' anxiety levels.106 patients undergoing elective surgical procedures participated in a quasi-experimental two-group comparison study. Participants were split into two groups: a control group (n = 53) that received standard preoperative care and an intervention group (n = 53) that received structured preoperative counseling. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) was used to measure anxiety levels. SPSS was used to analyze the data using the independent sample t-test, chi-square test, and effect size analysis.Anxiety scores were considerably lower in the intervention group than in the control group. The counseling group's mean HAMA score was 18.23 ± 5.79, while the control group's was 30.17 ± 9.27 (p < 0.001). A significant difference between the groups was revealed by the independent sample t-test (t = -7.956, df = 104). With Cohen's d = 1.546, the effect size analysis demonstrated a significant clinical impact of counseling. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between group allocation and anxiety severity categories (χ² = 44.716, p < 0.001).The results show that structured preoperative counseling is a successful non-pharmacological strategy for lowering surgical patients' anxiety. Regular pre-anesthesia care that includes counseling may enhance patients' comfort, confidence, and overall perioperative anxiety.