What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cross-Sectional. Population: Adult patients (≥18 years) scheduled for cardiac surgery hospitalized in a cardiovascular surgery ward in Ankara, Turkiye (n=169). Primary outcome: Preoperative surgical fear and anxiety levels measured by Surgical Fear Questionnaire (SFQ) total score and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) total score.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine the levels of preoperative surgical fear and anxiety in patients scheduled for cardiac surgery.

February 28, 2026Journal of Medicine and Palliative Care

Determination of preoperative surgical fear and anxiety levels in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

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Key result

Cardiac surgery patients experience near-moderate surgical fear and mild preoperative anxiety.

n=169

Why the study?

The study was conducted to determine the levels of surgical fear and anxiety experienced preoperatively by patients scheduled for cardiac surgery.

Key Points

To determine the levels of preoperative surgical fear and anxiety in patients scheduled for cardiac surgery.
Cross-sectional study conducted in the cardiovascular surgery department of a training and research hospital between October 2023 and March 2024 among N=169 patients.
Data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a Personal Information Form, the Surgical Fear Scale (SFQ), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).
The total surgical fear scale mean score was 31.9±14.6 (short-term fear subscale: 14.5±7.05; long-term fear subscale: 17.2±8.67), and the preoperative anxiety score mean was 10.02±7.0, indicating mild anxiety.
Total surgical fear scores were significantly higher in patients aged 18–65 years compared with those over 65 years (34.08±14.1 vs 27.05±14.7; p=0.006), female patients compared with male patients (35.29±15.4 vs 29.86±13.8; p=0.019), and patients without a previous surgical history compared with those who had previous surgery (34.54±14.08 vs 29.14±14.89; p=0.020).
Female patients had significantly higher mean anxiety scores than male patients (11.39±7.2; p=0.034), whereas other sociodemographic and clinical characteristics showed no statistically significant differences (p>0.05).

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=169)

Multicenter

Structured PICO

Population

169 adult patients (aged ≥18 years) scheduled for cardiac surgery, mean age 57.8, 67.1% male, based in Turkiye. Key exclusions: history of previous cardiac surgery, use of antidepressant, sedative, or anxiolytic medications.

Outcome

Preoperative surgical fear (measured by Surgical Fear Questionnaire) and anxiety (measured by Beck Anxiety Inventory) assessed one day before surgerypatient reported

Patients awaiting cardiac surgery experience moderate surgical fear and mild anxiety, with women and those without prior surgical experience being particularly vulnerable.

Limitations

Study assessed fear and anxiety only during preoperative period, not postoperative.
Single-center study with relatively small sample size limits generalizability.
Assessed patients' fear and anxiety levels only during the preoperative period
Single hospital setting
Relatively small sample size

Discussion

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Implication

Routine preoperative psychological screening may be warranted for cardiac surgery patients; hypothesis-generating for gender- and experience-based interventions.

Cite This Study

Parlak et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Adult patients (≥18 years) scheduled for cardiac surgery hospitalized in a cardiovascular surgery ward in Ankara, Turkiye (n=169). Patients scheduled for cardiac surgery experienced a mean surgical fear score of 31.9 indicating close to moderate fear and a mean Beck Anxiety Inventory score of 10.02 indicating mild preoperative anxiety.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a288590a974eb0d3c04251 https://doi.org/10.47582/jompac.1852696

View Full Paper

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Implication

Routine preoperative psychological screening may be warranted for cardiac surgery patients; hypothesis-generating for gender- and experience-based interventions.

Determination of preoperative surgical fear and anxiety levels in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Limitations

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Determination of preoperative surgical fear and anxiety levels in patients undergoing cardiac surgery

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Limitations

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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