JOURNAL OF LIAONING TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

EFFECT OF SMS-BASED EDUCATIONAL, COGNITIVE, AND BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS ON PREOPERATIVE ANXIETY AMONG PATIENTS AWAITING ELECTIVE ABDOMINAL SURGERY IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA

AREGBESOLA, Omotola Temitope, NWAOMAH, Esther, GENTRY, Oluwabukola Ayo, ADELANI, Adekemi Abolaji, BORODE, Samuel Busuyi

Abstract

Preoperative anxiety is a common challenge among patients awaiting elective abdominal surgery, negatively impacting surgical outcomes. This study assesses the effect of SMS-based educational, cognitive, and behavioural interventions on preoperative anxiety among patients in South-West Nigeria. The study specifically aims to evaluate: (1) the impact of SMS educational information on surgical preparation, (2) the effect of SMS cognitive restructuring on preoperative anxiety, and (3) the role of SMS behavioural techniques in modifying patient behaviour for surgical readiness. A quantitative quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 440 participants from three teaching hospitals. Patients were randomly assigned to intervention (SMS group) and control groups. The SMS group received structured messages covering surgical preparation, cognitive restructuring, and behavioural modifications, while the control group followed standard preoperative care without SMS interventions. A self-structured questionnaire was used to collect data, and mean scores were analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings indicated a significant improvement in the intervention group across all domains. The mean posttest scores for educational preparedness (2.95 vs. 1.67), cognitive restructuring (2.91 vs. 1.71), and behavioural readiness (2.83 vs. 1.70) were notably higher in the SMS group than in the control group, demonstrating the effectiveness of SMS interventions. The study concludes that SMS-based interventions effectively reduce preoperative anxiety by enhancing knowledge, cognitive restructuring, and behavioural readiness. It is recommended that healthcare institutions integrate SMS-based educational strategies into preoperative care to improve patient preparedness and surgical outcomes, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Keywords: Preoperative anxiety, SMS intervention, cognitive restructuring, behavioural modification, surgical preparation.