Preoperative Visit: Effective Strategy for Reducing Anxiety in Patients Undergoing Ureteral Stone Surgery.

Background: Ureteral stones are a common urological disorder that often requires surgical intervention. However, preoperative anxiety is a prevalent issue among surgical patients and can negatively affect their postoperative recovery. As a form of nursing intervention, preoperative visits have been shown to effectively alleviate preoperative anxiety; However, research on their effect on patients undergoing ureteral stone surgery is limited. This study aims to assess the effect of preoperative visits on preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing ureteral stone surgery.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study involved patients who underwent ureteral stone surgery at Changxing Hospital of Zhejiang Medical and Health Group between January 2022 and November 2024. The patients were divided into an observation group (48 cases) and a control group (59 cases) according to whether they received a preoperative visit. Preoperative anxiety was assessed using the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS). Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to evaluate the effect of preoperative visits.

Results: The observation group showed significantly lower total anxiety scores, total information demand scores and overall APAIS scores 48 hours before surgery compared with the control group (p < 0.05 for all). Multivariate regression analysis revealed that preoperative visits had a significant impact on the APAIS anxiety score (β = -1.560, p < 0.001), APAIS information demand score (β = -1.058, p = 0.002) and overall APAIS score (β = -2.610, p < 0.001). Female patients, rural residents and patients with low education levels had high anxiety scores and may require additional support.

Conclusions: Preoperative visits are effective in reducing preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing ureteral stone surgery, particularly for female patients, rural residents and those with low educational levels. Preoperative visits should be widely implemented in clinical practice.