Empowerment and Preoperative Anxiety among Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Cross Sectional Study

Introduction: Patients undergoing surgery are often concerned about the outcomes, including losing control over their bodies, losing their capacity to work, experiencing pain, and fearing death, which leads to anxiety. Thus, this study aimed to determine the level of patient empowerment, the level of preoperative anxiety and its association with sociodemographic data, and the predictors for preoperative anxiety. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among cardiac surgery patients at two teaching hospitals (n=168). Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires; the Patient Perception of Empowerment Scale (PPES) and Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety Information Scale (APAIS). Results: Most of the participants showed well empowered (75%), a low level of anxiety (56.5%), and a medium degree of need for information (49.4%). Inferential statistics revealed that sleep disturbances (p < 0.01) and gender (p = 0.02) were significantly associated with preoperative anxiety in terms of anxiety score. Meanwhile, besides gender and sleep disturbances, smoking status (p = 0.03) significantly correlated with the desired information score. Sleep disturbances (p < 0.01) and age (p = 0.03) was a significant predictor of preoperative anxiety. Conclusion: In conclusion, patients should be assessed for the level of preoperative anxiety and level of empowerment as early as they are in the clinic for follow-up before they are planned for cardiac surgery.