Effect of preoperative education about spinal anesthesia on anxiety and postoperative pain in parturients undergoing elective cesarean section: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Preoperative anxiety is a common problem in all patients. The reason could be incomplete information regarding the anesthesia and surgical procedure. Cesarean section (CS) is a common surgery and treatment of postoperative pain after CS continues to be an ongoing challenge. Aim: The present study was carried out to assess if preoperative education with a handout about spinal anesthesia can reduce anxiety and postoperative pain in parturients undergoing CS under spinal anesthesia. Methods and Materials: We randomized 64 parturients into two equal groups; study (Group A) and control group (Group B). The study group was given a handout and a structured education about spinal anesthesia. The control group was given routine preoperative information. The Amsterdam preoperative anxiety and information scale (APAIS) was used to measure anxiety preoperatively and visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain at 5 h and 24 h postoperatively. Statistical Analysis: The two groups were compared using Student's t test and non-parametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney U test. Result: The median difference in preoperative anxiety scores (APAIS) in the two groups was found to be 8.00 (P