Impact of Face-to-Face Educational Outreach Plus Printed Materials on Preoperative Anxiety level in Iranian Parturient Undergoing Elective Cesarean Section Delivery

Anxiety, in demanding situations such as the perioperative period, can exacerbate underlying diseases and lead to a variety of perioperative complications. Educating patients not only improves the level of knowledge but can also help patients coping skills. The aim of the present study is to determine the effect of face-to-face plus printed educational materials on the anxiety level of Iranian pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean section delivery in the perioperative period. STAI questionnaire was distributed to 50 pregnant women undergoing cesarean section on the day before operation, then the intervention group was educated face to face for one session followed by the pamphlet. After training, the STAI questionnaire was again distributed to the intervention group on the same day. For evaluating the level of anxiety, we also used the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The presence of nausea/vomiting after surgery and the type of anesthesia technique were recorded. Basic characteristics of the parturient regarding age, education level and the baseline level of anxiety were similar.
In the intervention group, the average anxiety level with STAI(S) questionnaire was 48.1 before the education and 45.2 after face to face outreach (P = 0.019).
The average anxiety level with VAS score was 5.6 before the education and 4.8 after the outreach in the interventional group (P = 0.018). STAI(S) and VAS scores in the control group were 43.3 and 5.1 respectively which increased to 44.2 and 5.7 in the second survey.
The correlation coefficient between score in the STAI questionnaire and VAS was 0.479. A single period of face to face education followed by handing out a pamphlet before an operation reduces the anxiety of mothers before cesarean section delivery.