Influence of Preoperative Fear on Pain and Postoperative Outcomes

Fear is a response that arises in the face of immediate threats, such as medical procedures, while anxiety is related to uncertainty about treatment and prognosis. These factors can negatively affect recovery. Assessing anxiety levels using specific tools may be essential to predict clinical outcomes and facilitate patient recovery after surgery.

This prospective observational study will assess the relationship between fear of anesthesia, surgeries, and hospitals and poorer postoperative pain control in patients undergoing scheduled surgery. It will also relate preoperative anxiety to postoperative analgesic assessment in this population.

Disease or disorder under study: Fear of anesthesia and postoperative pain control using two preoperative questionnaires. Patients will be followed up until discharge to assess postoperative pain and postoperative outcomes. Considering that the estimated percentage of fear is around 10%, with a 95% confidence interval and a 5% error margin, 138 patients are needed to accurately estimate its prevalence in the population.

Inclusion criteria

• All patients older than 18 years old scheduled for surgery with admission during the study period will be included.
• Verbal and written informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

• Minors
• Cognitive impairment
• Patients not being able to understand and respond to preoperative questionnaires
• Patients not being able to respond to postoperative pain assessment
• Patients not giving informed consent.