Editor's Note Pairing comfort nursing with targeted surgical care improves recovery, reduces pain, and enhances satisfaction for colorectal cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery, according to an American Journal of Managed Care August 18 article covering a study published in Annali Italiani di Chirurgia. As detailed in the article, the researchers…

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Editor's Note Using 3D-printed anatomical models during preoperative consultations significantly improved shared decision-making (SDM) and modestly reduced anxiety in colorectal surgery patients, according to a June 3 study published in JAMA Network Open.  The single-center, cluster randomized clinical trial enrolled 51 adult patients scheduled for colon or rectal resection due…

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Editor's Note Low-dose dexmedetomidine effectively stabilizes blood pressure and heart rate during key perioperative stages in gastrointestinal tumor patients with moderate to severe anxiety, according to a July 1 study published in BMC Psychiatry.   Researchers enrolled 100 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic gastrointestinal tumor resection. Anxiety levels were measured using…

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Editor's Note Blocking stress-induced prolactin may significantly reduce postoperative pain in women and curb the need for opioids, according to a study led by University of Arizona Health Sciences. News-Medical.Net summarized the findings May 20. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the research suggests a path toward…

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Editor's Note Amid a lack of focus and lack of resources on perioperative mental health, alleviating patient anxiety and preventing poor surgical outcomes requires creative solutions. This is the central argument of a May 12 commentary in The Conversation by Renée El-Gabalawy, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the…

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Editor's Note A recent study shows potentially significant promise for preoperative virtual reality (VR) simulation to improve surgical patient outcomes. Published March 1 in the American Journal of Critical Care, the research details how VR reduced ICU sedation and ventilator time for patients undergoing elective cardiothoracic surgery. Although the program…

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Editor's Note Virtual reality (VR) may help older patients manage anxiety before open-heart surgery, according to a study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Medical Xpress covered the news February 12. According to the article, researchers found that immersive VR and tablet-based VR significantly lowered anxiety levels, offering a nonpharmacological alternative…

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Editor's Note Nurse-led preoperative visits significantly reduce patient anxiety by providing structured education, emotional support, and greater trust between patients and caregivers, according to a review published January 21 in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing. Encompassing 13 studies on nurse-led preoperative visits published between 2000 and 2023, the review found…

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Editor's Note Using virtual reality glasses (VR-G) to watch immersive 360-degree nature videos significantly reduces preoperative surgical fear in patients undergoing open-heart surgery, according to a randomized controlled study published November 29 in the Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing. However, anxiety levels were not markedly affected, suggesting targeted efficacy in fear…

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Editor's Note A recent study presented at the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ 2024 meeting reveals that a computerized mental health assessment, KCAT, may effectively identify anxiety and depression in pediatric surgical patients. According to an October 20 report in Anesthesiology News, the single-center pilot study involved 65 children aged 7…

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