Assessment of Preoperative Anxiety Levels Among Patients Admitted for Surgery in Public Hospitals, Southern Ethiopia

Background Anxiety before surgery is one of the most challenging aspects of preoperative care. Preoperative anxiety has a number of postoperative complications. There are only a few studies that report on preoperative anxiety in surgical patients in Ethiopia, and their prevalence differs from one study to the next. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the level of preoperative anxiety and associated factors among surgical patients admitted at public hospitals in southern Ethiopia. Methods From July to August 2022, a facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients admitted to surgical wards at public hospitals. Data collection was conducted using a pretested, structured questionnaire administered by an interviewer. Preoperative anxiety was assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory scale. The data were coded and entered in Epi Data Version 4.6, then exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25 for analysis. To describe the study variables, descriptive statistics were used. The associated factors were then identified using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results were declared at a p-value of less than 0.05 based on an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval. Result A total of 220 patients were enrolled, with a 99.5% response rate. The observed preoperative anxiety level was 57.5% (95%CI: 54.63–62.35). High preoperative anxiety was associated with no formal educational status (AOR: 3.75; 95%CI = 1.36, 10.39), fear of death (AOR =2.01; 95%CI = 1.09, 3.73), fear of waking up in middle of surgery (AOR =3.42; 95%CI =1.19, 9.77), fear of postoperative pain (AOR = 2.56; 95%CI = 1.15, 5.74). Conclusion This study found that five out of ten patients scheduled for surgery in public hospitals had high levels of preoperative anxiety. Anxiety levels were associated with factors such as the educational status of respondents, fear of death, fear of waking up in the middle of surgery, and fear of postoperative pain. Preoperative anxiety assessments should be conducted regularly in each hospital, and appropriate anxiety-reducing methods must be implemented.