This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the effectiveness of preoperative multimedia educational sessions on the levels of anxiety and satisfaction among women undergoing cesarean section (CS). The Scopus, PubMed, and Cochrane databases were searched without language limitations for eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from their inception up to October 15, 2023. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted, and the quality of this meta-analysis was evaluated using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) approach. Seven RCTs (n = 1006 women) met the inclusion criteria. Preoperative multimedia sessions were found to significantly reduce anxiety levels (n = 6 RCTs, weighted mean difference: -3.10; 95 percent confidence intervals (CI): -4.48, -1.73; I2 = 44.24 percent, moderate certainty of evidence) compared to the control group. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups regarding women's satisfaction after surgery (n = 5 RCTs, risk ratio: 1.37; 95 percent CI: 0.76, 2.50; I2 = 98.26 percent, moderate certainty of evidence). Leave-one-out sensitivity analysis showed robustness of the outcomes. The findings of this meta-analysis suggest that providing multimedia educational programs before surgery could potentially have a beneficial effect on the levels of anxiety experienced by women undergoing CS. However, it is imperative to validate these results through larger samples and multi-centered RCTs.
Keywords: Anxiety; cesarean section; multimedia; satisfaction.