Prior Surgical Experience as a Predictor of Preoperative Anxiety, Early Postoperative Pain, and Analgesic Use.

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined whether prior surgical experience predicts preoperative anxiety, early postoperative pain intensity, and analgesic use in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Design: A prospective observational study.

Methods: The study was conducted between April and December 2025 in the General Surgery Clinic of a tertiary training and research hospital and included 310 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Data were collected using a Patient Information Form, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), an analgesic use chart, and the Surgical Anxiety Scale. Descriptive statistics, linear regression, and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine predictive relationships among the variables.

Results: Patients without prior surgical experience reported significantly higher preoperative anxiety levels and higher postoperative pain scores at all measured time points compared with experienced patients (p < 0.05). In multivariate analysis, lack of prior surgical experience was an independent predictor of increased postoperative pain intensity (B = -1.978, p < 0.001) and opioid use. Patients with prior surgical experience had a 70.9% lower likelihood of opioid use compared with those without experience (OR = 0.291, p < 0.001). Additionally, higher preoperative anxiety was independently associated with increased postoperative pain intensity (B = 0.072, p < 0.001) and greater odds of opioid use (OR = 1.057, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Prior surgical experience appears to play a protective role in early postoperative outcomes. Patients undergoing surgery for the first time may represent a higher-risk group requiring structured preoperative assessment and individualized, anxiety-informed pain management planning.