Background & Aim: Anxiety is one of the emotional conditions among patients scheduled for surgery that can result in increasing postoperative pain, increasing analgesic and anesthetic requirements and prolonging hospital stay. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of acupressure (acupuncture without needle) in reducing patients&apos anxiety before abdominal surgeries.

Methods & Materials: In this randomized, blinded, sham controlled trial, 70 patients who were scheduled to undergo abdominal surgery in Tehran University of Medical Sciences&apos hospitals were selected using convenience sampling method. The patients were randomized to an acupressure group (n=35) or a placebo group (n=35), receiving acupressure either at the right points (Yintang and Shen men) in acupressure group or at sham points in the placebo group for 10 min. Anxiety was recorded on a Visual Analog Scale (0-10). Vital signs were measured before and after pressure application in both groups.

Results: The anxiety was decreased in both groups following pressure application for 10 min (P<0.001). The amount of anxiety was significantly different between the groups (P<0.001). The heart rate, respiratory rate, and diastole/systole pressure (P<0.001) were decreased in the case group. Only heart rate (P=0.016) and respiratory rate (P=0.007) were decreased in the placebo group. Changes in respiratory rate and systole pressure following pressure application were statistically significant between two groups.

Conclusion: Acupressure at the right points can decrease anxiety before abdominal surgeries but it has no clinical effect on vital signs.

Background & Aim: Surgery is a stressful experience. Fear of postoperative pain causes anxiety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of patient education about pain control on patients&apos anxiety before abdominal surgery.
Methods & Materials: In this quasi-experimental study, 89 patients who were planned to undergo elective abdominal surgery in an educational hospital were recruited to the study. Informed consents were obtained. The participants were randomly allocated in two control (n=45) and experimental (n=44) groups. The questionnaire included demographic information, clinical characteristics, and the Spielberger&aposs State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Patients in the experimental group received education about pain control one day before surgery. The education method was oral explanation for 20-30 minutes. The control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-square, t-test, Fisher&aposs exact test, Wilcoxon signed ranks and Mann-whitney&aposs tests) in the SPSS.
Results: Findings indicated that there was a significant difference in anxiety level between the experiment and control groups before surgery (P<0.001). There was also a significant difference between anxiety level in the surgery day (P<0.001) between the two study groups. The anxiety level was significantly decreased in the experiment group.
Conclusion: Based on our findings, patient education about pain control led to reduce preoperative anxiety in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Patient education is a non-medical simple intervention that is recommended for using in surgery wards.