Benefits of psychological preparation for surgery: a meta-analysis

Analyzed the results of randomized controlled trials of different methods of psychological preparation of adult patients for surgery to determine the benefits sought from psychological preparation, whether they were achieved, and whether they were likely to be gained. The following 8 outputs were measured in 38 published/unpublished studies: negative affect, pain, pain medication, length of stay, behavioral and clinical indices of recovery, physiological indices, satisfaction, and costs and other outcomes. All benefits analyzed were demonstrated at a level greater than chance in the studies. Procedural information and behavioral instructions showed the most wide-ranging effects in improving measures of all 8 outcomes. Relaxation was also effective, showing benefit on all outcomes except behavioral recovery. Sensory-information, hypnotic, and emotion-focused approaches were not effective in improving outcomes.