ISSN 2756-3332
African Journal of Nursing and Midwifery ISSN 2198-4638 Vol. 7 (4), pp. 001-005, April, 2019. © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Helping patients in cataract peri- and post-surgery: A simple intervention addressing anxiety
Maria Luisa Ramos1*, Margarida Gaspar de Matos2, Cátia Branquinho3 and Leonor Moniz Pereira4
Faculty of Human Kinetics, Technical University of Lisbon, Estrada da Costa, 1499 Lisboa codex, Portugal.
Accepted 03 March, 2019
Abstract
The aim of this study is to propose patients a psycho educational intervention before, during and after a stay in a hospital to undergo a cataract surgery, in order to meet their doubts and fears. The objective is to find if by lowering the anxiety state, the suffering would be reduced and the quality in the rehabilitation process would be fostered (Hesbeen, 1996). The design chosen was a RCT (Randomised Control Trial). A group of 160 individuals was assigned randomly to one of the 2 conditions: 80 to the experimental/intervention condition following a specific care program aiming at lowering anxiety, and 80 to an “attention/routine care” condition. The sample consisted of individuals who had a mean age of 72, SD 10.33, ranging from 24 to 95 years old, and 63.1% were females. Anxiety state decreased significantly after surgery in both intervention and attention groups but more intensively in the intervention group. A regression model explained 80% of the anxiety state score after surgery. The most significant predictor of anxiety state score after surgery was “belonging to the intervention/experimental group” (B = 0.712). These results confirm the claims that a simple, costless and almost timeless psycho educational procedure can decrease anxiety and improve patients’ experience of cataract surgery and recovery.
Key words: Psycho educational interventions, hospital, cataract surgery, peri- and post-surgery anxiety.