Multimedia tools in preoperative patient education: A systematic review of their role in neuraxial anesthesia.

Preoperative anxiety is a major concern for patients undergoing neuraxial anesthesia, often leading to increased physiological stress and reduced satisfaction. Recently, multimedia-based education has been encouraged as a new approach to enhancing patient understanding and reducing anxiety. This paper investigates whether multimedia-based patient education improves preoperative anxiety, patient satisfaction, and hemodynamic stability in patients undergoing neuraxial anesthesia. According to PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The selection criteria included interventional studies assessing multimedia-based preoperative education compared to conventional methods. Anxiety levels, patient satisfaction, and hemodynamic parameters were analyzed. A total of 10 studies involving 1016 patients were included. Nine studies demonstrated a significant reduction in preoperative anxiety among patients receiving multimedia education, while one study found no significant difference. Patient satisfaction was significantly higher in multimedia-educated groups, suggesting an improved patient experience. Additionally, three studies reported better hemodynamic stability, including lower heart rates and blood pressure fluctuations, in patients exposed to multimedia education. Multimedia-based education effectively reduces preoperative anxiety, improves patient satisfaction, and enhances hemodynamic stability in neuraxial anesthesia. However, variations in content, duration, and study design highlight the need for further high-quality research to standardize multimedia interventions and assess long-term outcomes.