Aim of study: To measure the effect of specific preoperative information on postoperative anxiety, satisfaction with information, and demand for analgesia, of Chinese males having transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).
Design: A controlled experimental design. The researchers allocated all patients (n = 30) undergoing TURP in a general hospital in Hong Kong, during a 3-month period, to one of two groups. The experimental group (n = 15) received a specific information pamphlet and a general preoperative counselling video. The control group (n = 15) received a video alone. PROCEDURE AND MEASURES: Following ethical approval, a researcher took baseline measures of state and trait anxiety using the Chinese State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (C -STAI). Five days after surgery the researcher administered the C-STAI (A-State), a patients' satisfaction questionnaire, and, recorded requests for analgesia during the first 5 postoperative days.
Results: Experimental subjects reported significantly lower anxiety levels post-operatively and a significantly higher level of satisfaction with the preoperative information, than controls. Postoperative demand for analgesia did not significantly differ between groups.
Conclusions: The findings support the importance of providing patients with specific, written preoperative information about their surgery and its effects to minimize their postoperative anxiety levels, and improve their satisfaction with the care provided.