Patterns and frequency of anxiety in women undergoing gynaecological surgery

Patterns and frequency of anxiety in women undergoing gynaecological surgery Aims. Within a gynaecological surgical setting to identify the patterns and frequency of anxiety pre- and postoperatively; to identify any correlation between raised anxiety levels and postoperative pain; to identify events, from the patients’ perspective, that may increase or decrease anxiety in the pre- and postoperative periods. Background. It is well documented that surgery is associated with increased anxiety, which has an adverse impact on patient outcomes. Few studies have been conducted to obtain the patient’s perspective on the experience of anxiety and the events and situations that aggravate and ameliorate it. Method. The study used a mixed method approach. The sample consisted of women undergoing planned gynaecological surgery. Anxiety was assessed using the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Trait anxiety was measured at the time of recruitment. State anxiety was then assessed at six time points during the pre- and postoperative periods. Postoperative pain was also measured using a 10 cm visual analogue scale. Taped semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted approximately a week after discharge. Results. State anxiety rose steadily from the night before surgery to the point of leaving the ward to go to theatre. Anxiety then increased sharply prior to the anaesthetic decreasing sharply afterwards. Patients with higher levels of trait anxiety were more likely to experience higher levels of anxiety throughout their admission. Elevated levels of pre- and postoperative anxiety were associated with increased levels of postoperative pain. Telephone interviews revealed a range of events/situations that patients recalled distressing them and many were related to inadequate information. Conclusion. This study found higher rates of anxiety than previously reported and anxiety levels appeared raised before admission to hospital. This has important clinical and research implications.Relevance to clinical practice. Patients with high levels of anxiety may be identified preoperatively and interventions designed to reduce anxiety could be targeted to this vulnerable group. Patient experiences can inform the delivery of services to meet their health needs better

The efficacy of preopoerative instruction in reducing anxiety following gyneoncological surgery: a case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This is a quasi-experimental case control research focusing on the impact of systematic preoperative instruction on the level of postoperative anxiety in gyneoncologic patients. The population studied consists of the gyneoncologic surgery patients admitted to the Gynecologic Oncology Service at Zekai Tahir Burak Gynecology Training and Research Hospital from May to September 2010.</p> <p>Patients and methods</p> <p>Through a random sampling, 60 patients were recruited in each group. The study group was given a systematic preoperative instruction while the control group was given routine nursing care. Patients were interviewed in the postoperative period and anxiety was measured. The data-collecting tool consisted of the Individual Information Form and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The collected data were analyzed by using the SPSS Program to find the frequency, the percentage, the mean and the standard variables, and the hypothesis was tested with Chi-square, variance, and t-independent test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>It was found that the incidence rates from the post-operative anxiety score of the study group were lower than those of the control group (p < .05). The results of this research demonstrated that gyneoncologic surgery patients who were given systematic preoperative instruction felt less anxious than the ones who were given merely a routine nursing care.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results of this study suggest that preoperative instruction programs aiming at informing gyneoncologic surgery patients at the preoperative stage should be organized in hospitals and have an essential role.</p

Impact of a 6-month parent-implemented behavioral intervention for children with developmental language delays of unknown etiology

Note:This three-part study involved male toddlers with developmental language delays of unknown etiology and their parents. In order to document the behavioral correlates of language delay, the language-delayed sample was first compared to an age-matched group of normally developing boys. The language-delayed children were rated by their parents as having more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems than the control group. They also displayed less compliance to simple maternal requests on a standardized task. There was no group difference in verbal noncompliance. Rather, nonverbal noncompliance, particularly the passive form, differentiated the groups. […]Des jeunes garçons présentant des retards de langage sans étiologie connue et leurs parents ont été étudies dans ce projet. Dans la première partie, les enfants ayant des retards de langage ont été compares à un groupe contrôle constitue de garçons normaux du même âge, afin d'investiguer les corrélatifs comportementaux des retards de langage. Compare au groupe contrôle, les enfants ayant des retards de langage furent décrits par leurs parents comme manifestant plus de problèmes de comportements intériorises et extériorises. De plus, ils se montrèrent moins coopératifs pour de simples requêtes maternelles sur une tache standardisée. Les groupes étaient semblables pour ce qui est de la proportion de refus verbal. Cependant les groupes se sont montres différents quant à la proportion de refus non verbal, particulièrement en ce qui a trait à la forme passive. Les corrélations effectuées sur l'échantillon total révélèrent que les indices de développement (verbal et non verbal) étaient associés de façon négative avec le refus nonverbal et avec les problèmes de comportement intériorises. […