Effect of a patient-information video on the preoperative anxiety levels of cataract surgery patients

Purpose: To assess whether a cataract surgery patient-information video reduces patients' preoperative anxiety levels.

Setting: Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK.

Design: Prospective controlled trial of an intervention to reduce anxiety for first-eye elective cataract surgery patients.

Methods: Patients attending for first-eye elective cataract surgery were included in the study. The primary outcome measure was a questionnaire based upon the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Score (APAIS), and an 80.0 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) score. The questionnaire was administered to a control group of consecutive preoperative cataract surgery patients who had not seen the information video. Subsequently, the video was introduced to the surgical pathway and the questionnaire was administered preoperatively to an intervention group of consecutive patients who had watched the video.

Results: The study comprised 200 patients (100 in the intervention group, 100 in the control group). There was a significant difference in mean VAS anxiety scores between the control group (45.5 mm ± 21.4 [SD]) and the intervention group (11.2 ± 11.4 mm) (P < .001). On a 5-stage Likert scale, responses to the APAIS statement "I am worried about the procedure" (range 1 = not at all to 5 = extremely worried) also showed that the control group patients were significantly more worried than the intervention group (P < .001). The mode response score was 3 in the control group versus 1 in the intervention group.

Conclusions: Providing a patient-information video before cataract surgery was an inexpensive and effective intervention in reducing preoperative anxiety. Such interventions could improve the overall experience of cataract surgery patients.