A study to evaluate the effectiveness of guided imagery on reduction of anxiety among selected pre-operative patients admitted at SDM hospital Dharwad

“A study to evaluate the effectiveness of guided imagery on reduction of anxiety among selected preoperative patients admitted at SDM hospital Dharwad”.

Background of the study: Guided imagery is a mind body intervention by which a trained practitioner or teacher helps a participant to evoke and generate mental images that stimulate or recreate the sensory perception of sights, sounds, tastes and images associated with touch. In the use of guided imagery, the therapist and client develop imagery scenes that produce feelings of calmness, tranquility, or pleasure for the client. It is critical that the therapist consult with the client as to the appropriateness of scenes, as a scene thought to be calming may not be relaxing to a particular individual.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of guided imagery on reduction of anxiety among selected preoperative patients.

Methodology: An evaluative approach was adopted for this study with pre-experimental one group pre and post-test design. By non-probability convenience sampling technique. 40 preoperative elective abdominal surgery patients were selected. Modified Hamilton Anxiety Scale was used to collect the data and collected data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The results of the study showed that pre-test level of anxiety of elective abdominal surgery patients was 12 (30%) of them hadmild level of anxiety, 28 (70.00%) had severe level anxiety. In pre- test the mean score was ±30.77 and SD was± 4.58 whereas the mean post-test score was ±12.82 and SD was ±4.04. The calculated ‘t’ value was ±21.88 which was higher than the table value i.e.2.02 which was significant at p ≤0.05 level. Hence the research hypothesis was accepted.

Conclusion: The study concludes that Guided Imagery Technique was effective in reduction of anxiety among preoperative elective abdominal surgery patients.