A randomized control trial to determine the effectiveness of a Video based Pre-operative Special Surgical Instruction (V-POSSI) on postoperative anxiety levels and vital signs among adult patients undergoing planned orthopedic surgery at a tertiary care hospital

Brief SummaryPreoperative anxiety is a common problem among patients undergoing elective surgery and is associated with adverse physiological responses and unfavorable postoperative outcomes. Anxiety may lead to unstable vital signs, increased postoperative pain, delayed recovery, and prolonged hospital stay. Structured preoperative education has been shown to reduce anxiety and improve patient preparedness; however, evidence from Indian tertiary care settings, particularly in orthopedic surgery, remains limited.

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a Video-based Pre-operative Special Surgical Instruction (V-POSSI) in reducing postoperative anxiety levels and stabilizing vital signs among adult patients undergoing planned orthopedic surgery at a tertiary care hospital in West Bengal.

Eligible adult patients scheduled for elective orthopedic surgery will be recruited using purposive sampling and randomly allocated into experimental and control groups using block randomization with allocation concealment. The experimental group will receive V-POSSI in addition to routine care, while the control group will receive routine preoperative care alone.

The V-POSSI consists of a 10-minute structured educational video providing audiovisual information about the perioperative environment, anesthesia, operating theatre procedures, and expected postoperative experiences. The video will be administered approximately 24 hours prior to surgery.

Postoperative anxiety will be assessed using the Post Operative Anxiety Rating Scale, and postoperative vital signs (pulse rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate) will be recorded from hospital vital signs charts. Data will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics to determine the effectiveness of the intervention and associations with selected socio-demographic variables.

The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence on the feasibility and effectiveness of video-based preoperative education as a non-pharmacological intervention to reduce anxiety and improve physiological stability among orthopedic surgery patients in Indian tertiary care settings.