Objective:

In this study we aimed to compare the effects of written and visual information on preoperative anxiety and usage of sedative drugs and postoperative analgesics in patients who are scheduled for operations under spinal anesthesia.

Methods:

With the permission of the ethics committee, ASA I-III 210 patients were enrolled in the study. Before the preoperative evaluation, the basal anxiety levels of all patients were measured with State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and anesthesia related anxiety was determined. The patients were divided into two groups as visual and control group. The visual group patients were informed with a catalogue involving pictures about spinal anesthesia and the control group patients were informed with a standardized written information form. STAI was repeated and anxiety about anesthesia was questioned in both groups in the preoperative and postoperative periods. The intraoperative usage of sedative drugs, postoperative pain scores and analgesic needs of the patients, were recorded.

Results:

While the basal and postoperative STAI values showed no difference between the groups, the preoperative STAI values of visual group were significantly low. When anxiety about anesthesia was questioned, the anxiety regarding postoperative pain, nausea-vomitting and fear of injection were found to be significantly higher. In the preoperative evaluation, delayed awakening after operation and experience of problems with the staff in the postoperative evaluation, insufficient knowledge of the anesthesist and postoperative pain were significantly higher in the control group. The intraoperative sedative drug need and postoperative 8th hour VAS values were significantly lower in the visual group.

Conclusion:

We concluded that addition of a simple picture catalogue into the standardized information forms reduced the anxiety of the patients before anesthesia, as well as intraoperative sedative and postoperative analgesic requirement, and prevented incorrect or deficient information about anesthesia.

Keywords: Anesthesia, regional, anxiety