International Surgery and Case Reports

Abstract
Background:

Preoperative anxiety can adversely affect anaesthetic requirements, pain perception, surgical safety, and postoperative recovery. In Papua, Indonesia, linguistic diversity, culturally embedded health beliefs, and limited perioperative nursing resources may hinder evidence-based preoperative preparation. However, the effectiveness of culturally and linguistically adapted nursing education in this setting remains understudied.

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of a culturally adapted, multilingual perioperative nursing education intervention on preoperative anxiety, postoperative pain, time to first ambulation, and hospital stay among surgical patients in Papua.

Methods:

A parallel-group pragmatic randomized controlled trial was conducted at four provincial referral hospitals in Papua, Papua Pegunungan, Papua Selatan, and Papua Tengah, Indonesia, from January to June 2024. A total of 320 adults undergoing elective general, obstetric, or orthopaedic surgery were randomized to intervention or control groups. The intervention comprised structured preoperative education delivered in local languages and adapted to Papuan health beliefs using verbal explanations, visual aids, and perioperative orientation. Controls received standard, non-standardized verbal information in Bahasa Indonesia. Preoperative anxiety was assessed using the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale. Secondary outcomes included postoperative pain (Numeric Rating Scale), time to first ambulation, and hospital stay.

Results: Of 320 randomized participants, 315 completed follow-ups. Compared with controls, the intervention significantly reduced preoperative anxiety (mean difference −5.2, 95% CI −6.1 to −4.3; p<0> Conclusion: Culturally adapted multilingual perioperative nursing education substantially reduces anxiety and pain while accelerating mobilization and shortening hospital stay. Its integration into routine perioperative nursing practice may improve equitable surgical care in linguistically diverse, resource-constrained settings.
 

References

 

 

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