The Effect of Heating on Thermal Comfort and Anxiety

This study with a randomized, pretest - posttest controlled experimental design was conducted to determine the effects of active and passive heating methods applied in different parts of the perioperative process on thermal comfort, anxiety and vital signs. The study was conducted with the patients who were hospitalized for open abdominal surgical interventions in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, of Selcuk University Medical Faculty Hospital, between the dates of 1 October 2018 and 10 January 2019. The study included 99 patients in two control groups and one experimental group. The patients in group A were dressed with hot air blowing patients scrubs in both preoperative and postoperative periods, while patients in group B were dressed with hot air blowing patients scrubs only in the postoperative period. The control group continued routine practice. In the preoperative period, vital signs, thermal comfort, and anxiety levels of the patients were evaluated. In the intraoperative period, vital signs and thermal comfort levels of the patients were evaluated. Thermal comfort level of the patients was re-evaluated prior to the induction of anesthesia. Once the patients were transferred to the post-anesthesia care unit, among the vital signs of the patients, body temperature was measured in the temporal region, and other signs were measured using the monitors. Thermal comfort and anxiety levels of the patients were re-evaluated after they got dressed.