Effect of Weighted Blanket Versus Traditional Practices on Anxiety and Pain in Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract

Perioperative anxiety is common in surgical patients and linked to poor outcomes. This multicenter randomized controlled trial assessed the effect of the use of a warm weighted blanket on presurgical anxiety and pain, as well as postsurgical restlessness, nausea, and vomiting. Levels of anxiety and pain were measured in adult patients using a 100-point visual analog scale before elective surgery. Patients received either a warm weighted blanket (n=74) or a traditional sheet or nonweighted blanket (n=74). Patients in the intervention group had significantly lower preoperative anxiety scores (mean [SD]=26.28 [25.75]) compared to the control group (mean [SD]=38.73 [30.55], P=.008). However, the intervention had no significant effect on presurgical pain or postsurgical nausea, vomiting, or restlessness. These results suggest that weighted blankets reduce preoperative anxiety in adult patients.