The effects of psychological preparation on pain and recovery after minor gynaecological surgery: a preliminary report

Investigated the effects of psychologically preparing patients for minor gynaecological surgery. A total of 59 women who were undergoing elective laparoscopy were assigned randomly to three experimental conditions: Preparation, in which an informative preoperative interview was conducted; placebo, in which a reassuring preoperative interview was held; and control, in which no contact was made prior to surgery. The women were assessed postoperatively in terms of pain, anxiety and attitudes and required to complete a follow-up questionnaire that followed a 3-week interval, which assessed subjective report of recovery rate. The results showed similar levels of pain report for all groups, although significantly fewer prepared patients requested postoperative analgesia. No differences in pain reports emerged at follow-up, although there was a tread for prepared patients to report a more rapid return to full health. The results are considered in the context of explanatory models that have been proposed to account for the effects of psychological preparation.