Preoperative death anxiety among surgical patients at Al-Gamhoria and \(22^{nd}\) May Hospitals- Aden

Abstract

Surgery is sometimes a necessary and inevitable solution because it is the only resort for healing, and surgical intervention is a routine matter for the medical staff, but it may be a terrifying specter for the patient, especially the one who undergoes it for the first time as a result of the physiological and biological imbalances that occur to the patient and as a result of the damage caused by it. This study aimed at measuring the death anxiety among patients who are about to undergo surgery. This is a descriptive study with (62) patients were admitted in the Surgical Department at Al-Gamhoria Teaching Hospital and \(22^{nd}\) May Hospital in Aden Governorate, who were targeted with a self-administered questionnaire applied for this purpose in the period from 22/06/2021 until 21/09/2021. Each questionnaire statement was given a weight (1: Yes, or 0: No) to estimate the significance of the statement, these weights are reflected in the levels of death anxiety, and for interpretation of the arithmetic means, the degree of presence of those levels were judged according to the following scale: (1- 16) degree is a weak level of death anxiety, (17- 33) degree is a moderate level of death anxiety, and (34- 50) degree there is a highly level of death anxiety. Around two thirds of the patients reported a moderate level of preoperative death anxiety. Death anxiety was reported more high by female patients, and those in the age group 60 and more, amongst illiterate and primary education patients, and with patients of gynecologic and orthopedic surgeries. In this study, the preoperative death anxiety was high among female patients, in the age group 60 and more, amongst illiterate and primary education patients, and with patients of gynecologic and orthopedic surgeries. The current study recommended that patients need to be assessed regularly for anxiety during the preoperative visit and appropriate anxiety reduction methods should be introduced through mental and psyche health professionals.