The effect of informative video before the procedure on anxiety levels in patients who will have ureteral stent removal under local anesthesia

Objective

Our objective was to assess the impact of video-animated information on the anxiety levels of patients undergoing ureteral stent removal under local anesthesia.

Method

The study was designed as a randomized prospective trial. The one group received only verbal and written information before the surgery, while the other group received video-animated information in addition to the written and verbal instructions. The patients’ anxiety levels were assessed using the STAI-S and STAI-T questionnaires, while their pain scores were evaluated using VAS scores. Tolerability and satisfaction scores were also evaluated on a 5-point Likert scale.

Results

The video-group (Group 1) consisted of 74 patients, while the non-video group (Group 2) consisted of 82 patients. The mean pre-information STAI-T score was 34.4 ± 3.7 in Group 1 and 35.2 ± 3 in the Group 2 (p = 0.113). In the video group, pre-information STAI-S scores was 34.8 ± 3.3 and post-information STAI-S scores was 33.8 ± 3 (p < 0.001). In the non-video group, pre-information STAI-S score was 35.6 ± 2.6 and post-information STAI-S score was 35.5 ± 2.7 (p = 0.260). The mean VAS score of Group 1 is 5.7 ± 1.2 and Group 2 is 5.7 ± 1.4 (p = 0.608). The mean tolerability scores of Group 1 and Group 2 were 3.7 ± 0.9 and 2.7 ± 1, respectively. The mean satisfaction scores of Group 1 and Group 2 were 4.1 ± 0.9 and 2.6 ± 1, respectively. Both tolerability score and satisfaction score improved statistically significantly after video information (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Providing video-animated information in addition to written and verbal information before removing the ureteral stent reduces patients’ preoperative anxiety. Furthermore, patient tolerance and satisfaction are higher when informative videos are included.