Effect of Emotional Freedom Technique Applied to Patients Before Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy on Surgical Fear and Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Purpose: No studies have investigated the effect of the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) on the surgical fears and anxieties of patients before laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This study aimed to determine the effect of EFT on patients' surgical fears and anxieties before laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Design: The research was conducted using a pretest, post-test, and randomized controlled experimental research design. Methods: A total of 112 patients (56 in the intervention group and 56 in the control group) were included in the study. While routine care and treatment practices were applied to the control group, EFT was applied to the intervention group. A Patient Information Form, an Anxiety Specific to Surgery Questionnaire, a Surgical Fear Questionnaire, and Subjective Units of Disturbance (SUD) were used to collect the research data. Findings: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of descriptive and clinical features (P > .05). The post-test score averages of EFT group in the Surgical Fear Questionnaire, Anxiety Specific to Surgery Questionnaire, and SUD were significantly lower than in the control group (P < .001). The EFT significantly reduced the SUD scores of the patients by 54.4% (eta(2) = 0.544, P < .001). Conclusions: EFT was found to be useful in clinical practice in the preoperative period, reducing surgery specific anxiety and surgical fear. EFT can be recommended for application during the preoperative period in clinics. (c) 2024 American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.