Effects of preoperative individualized audiovisual education on anxiety and comfort in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy: randomised controlled study

Objective: The study aimed to determine the effects of preoperative individualized audiovisual education for laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients on postoperative anxiety and comfort (pain, nausea, and vomiting). Method: This study was a randomized clinical trial on 124 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients were randomized into an intervention group (individualized audiovisual education) or a control group (standard education). The primary outcome was change in anxiety and comfort levels between the intervention and control groups at baseline and follow-up. Secondary outcomes were change between groups in Patient Learning Needs Scale scores and vital signs. Results: Although the preoperative visual analog scale (VAS)-pain and VAS-nausea scores of the patients in both groups were similar, the postoperative VAS-pain and VAS-nausea levels of the intervention group were significantly lower than that of the control group (p < 0.05). The anxiety levels of the intervention group were also lower both before (42.79 +/- 4.29) and after (39.08 +/- 3.49) surgery than that of the control group (50.98 +/- 5.45 and 44.41 +/- 4.77, respectively). Conclusion: This study showed that preoperative individualized audiovisual education was effective in reducing anxiety and improving patient comfort. Practice implications: Preoperative individualized audiovisual education is crucial for clinical care and can be integrated into other patients because of its positive effects on postoperative recovery outcomes. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.