532 Patient Journey Posters Reduce Pre-Procedural Anxiety in Day Surgery

Background Multi-factorial anxiety is common prior to undergoing a surgical procedure and may contribute to poor post-operative outcomes. Aside from operation-related concerns, anxiety may be driven from uncertainty relating to procedures, logistics and reporting arrangements on the day, therefore improving patient understanding of the peri-operative pathway can reduce this anxiety. Aim To explore patients’ understanding and emotion surrounding the peri-operative pathway prior to surgery. To implement patient guides to improve understanding of the peri-operative pathway. Method We opportunistically sampled day surgery patients in waiting room prior to their procedure via a structured questionnaire. We undertook quantitative and thematic analysis of results, focusing on patients' emotions and understanding. We produced a poster displaying the departments and areas a patient will move through in their peri-operative pathway, with a text-explanation of what occurs at each stage, from the consent process to recovery. Patients were followed up with another questionnaire to assess the usefulness of the poster. Results Following intervention, there was an increase in percentage of patients understanding of the peri-operative journey. Most patients reported anxiety in trying to locate the surgical department before surgery, as well as the recovery process. Patients reported pre-procedural information was brief and unclear, therefore reading a guide with images of the areas helped reduce anxiety. Conclusions It is evident that patients feel unsure and anxious about peri-operative journey on the day of their operation. Patients particularly want more information on recovery and the discharge process. Having a past procedure in day surgery was correlated with reduced anxiety.