Effects of health education program on preoperative anxiety among abdominal surgical patientsc

Abstract

This study is a quasi-experimental research, whose objectives are namely : 1.) To compare the levels of anxiety between the experimental group and control group of the abdominal surgical patients. 2.) To compare the post-operative complications between the experimental group and the control group of the abdominal surgical patients. 3.) To ask the abdominal surgical patients for their opinions toward giving the systematic health education program to the experimental group. The studied population is the abdominal surgical patients admitted at Thungsong Hospital, Thungsong District in the Province of Nakornsithamarat from July to November 2003. The sample group was derived form a simple random sampling method. Then it became two 60-population group: The sample group and the control group. The experimental group was given the systematic health education program while the control group was given routine nursing care. The data-collecting device consisted of : 1.) The anxiety-measuring form with the reliability value at the level of 0.75 for the patients who were waiting for abdominal operations. 2.) four teaching plans on the subject of giving a systematic health education program 3.) The questionnaires asking about the opinions toward the operating room services after being given the systematic health education program with the reliability value at the level of 0.79 The Conclusion of the research outcome is as follows: 1.) The level of pre-operative anxiety of the experimental group of abdominal surgical patients who were given the systematic health education program was different from that of the control group who were given routine nursing care with the statistic significance at the level of .05, which was in line with the hypothesis. 2.) The post-operative complications of the experimental group of abdominal surgical patients who were given the systematic health education program were different from those of the control group without the statistic significance at the level of .05, which wasn’t in line with the hypothesis. 3.) The opinion scores toward the services of the operating room services after being given the systematic health education program of the experimental group were at the “high” level ( =3.70 ). When considering the scoring of the levels “high” and “the highest” (4-5 points), the researcher found out that the experimental group had the three most favorite items namely : 3.1. Were you satisfied when the surgical personnel help you to reduce the pre – operative anxiety? ( = 4.15 ). 3.. Were you satisfied when the surgical personnel provides you with the knowledge on diseases, the stages of an operation, the objectives of the operation, and the post- operative self- practices? ( =4.01 ). 3.3. Were you satisfied with the surgical personnel enthusiastic assistance? ( =3.85 ) X The results of this research was found out that giving the systematic health education program could make the abdominal surgical patients feel less anxious than the ones who were given a routine nursing care. Therefore, the nursing personnel as well as the executive staff should regard it as necessary duty to apply the health education program to every surgical patient.