Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42244825›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of anaesthesiology and intensive care2026

Comparing two pre-operative anxiety scales for predicting postoperative pain in ambulatory surgery: Data from a multicentre observational study.

Caroline S Dahlem, Catarina T Monteiro, Eunice Mendes, Carmen C Oliveira, Margarida Bettencourt, Luis Azevedo, Joana Berger-Estilita, Cristina Granja

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European journal of anaesthesiology and intensive care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03499730 (Does Preoperative Midazolam Dose Affect Postoperative Pain? - a Multicentric Observational Study in Open Inguinal Hernia Repair), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03499730 completednot on this map

Does Preoperative Midazolam Dose Affect Postoperative Pain? - a Multicentric Observational Study in Open Inguinal Hernia Repair

TypeobservationalSponsorUniversidade do PortoRan2018 to 2021Enrolled300ConditionsPain, PostoperativeArmsMidazolam injection
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Caroline S DahlemFrom the RISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CSD, CCO, LA, JB-E, CG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira (CSD), Centro Académico Clínico Egas Moniz Health Alliance, University of Aveiro, Aveiro (CSD), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia (CTM, CCO), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra (EM), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Vouga, EPE, Aveiro (MB), Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences - MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (LA), Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (JB-E), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde São João (CG), Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CG).
Catarina T MonteiroFrom the RISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CSD, CCO, LA, JB-E, CG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira (CSD), Centro Académico Clínico Egas Moniz Health Alliance, University of Aveiro, Aveiro (CSD), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia (CTM, CCO), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra (EM), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Vouga, EPE, Aveiro (MB), Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences - MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (LA), Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (JB-E), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde São João (CG), Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CG).
Eunice MendesFrom the RISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CSD, CCO, LA, JB-E, CG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira (CSD), Centro Académico Clínico Egas Moniz Health Alliance, University of Aveiro, Aveiro (CSD), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia (CTM, CCO), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra (EM), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Vouga, EPE, Aveiro (MB), Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences - MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (LA), Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (JB-E), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde São João (CG), Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CG).
Carmen C OliveiraFrom the RISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CSD, CCO, LA, JB-E, CG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira (CSD), Centro Académico Clínico Egas Moniz Health Alliance, University of Aveiro, Aveiro (CSD), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia (CTM, CCO), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra (EM), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Vouga, EPE, Aveiro (MB), Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences - MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (LA), Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (JB-E), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde São João (CG), Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CG).
Margarida BettencourtFrom the RISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CSD, CCO, LA, JB-E, CG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira (CSD), Centro Académico Clínico Egas Moniz Health Alliance, University of Aveiro, Aveiro (CSD), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia (CTM, CCO), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra (EM), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Vouga, EPE, Aveiro (MB), Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences - MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (LA), Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (JB-E), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde São João (CG), Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CG).
Luis AzevedoFrom the RISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CSD, CCO, LA, JB-E, CG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira (CSD), Centro Académico Clínico Egas Moniz Health Alliance, University of Aveiro, Aveiro (CSD), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia (CTM, CCO), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra (EM), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Vouga, EPE, Aveiro (MB), Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences - MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (LA), Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (JB-E), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde São João (CG), Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CG).
Joana Berger-EstilitaFrom the RISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CSD, CCO, LA, JB-E, CG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira (CSD), Centro Académico Clínico Egas Moniz Health Alliance, University of Aveiro, Aveiro (CSD), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia (CTM, CCO), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra (EM), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Vouga, EPE, Aveiro (MB), Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences - MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (LA), Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (JB-E), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde São João (CG), Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CG).
Cristina GranjaFrom the RISE-Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CSD, CCO, LA, JB-E, CG), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Santa Maria da Feira (CSD), Centro Académico Clínico Egas Moniz Health Alliance, University of Aveiro, Aveiro (CSD), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia (CTM, CCO), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra (EM), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Baixo Vouga, EPE, Aveiro (MB), Department of Community Medicine, Information and Health Decision Sciences - MEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto (FMUP), Porto, Portugal (LA), Institute for Medical Education, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland (JB-E), Department of Anaesthesiology, Unidade Local de Saúde São João (CG), Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal (CG).

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPre-operative anxiety is present in most day surgery patients and is associated with increased postoperative pain. However, most anaesthetists do not objectively evaluate pre-operative anxiety. Both Surgical Fear Questionnaire (SFQ) and Anxiety Numeric Rating Scale (ANRS) are tools that can be used for standardised anxiety assessment.

objectiveTo compare the SFQ and ANRS in assessing pre-operative anxiety and predicting postoperative pain; to identify predictive factors for high pre-operative anxiety. STUDY

designSecondary analysis of a multicentre prospective observational study.

settingThree Portuguese ambulatory surgery units.PATIENTS Two hundred and ninety-six patients underwent open inguinal hernia repair between September 2018 and March 2020.

interventionPatients were assessed for pre-operative anxiety using the SFQ and ANRS before surgery. Postoperative evaluations were conducted at 24 h, 7 days, 3 months and 1 year.

main outcome measuresPre-operative anxiety and postoperative pain, Global Surgery Recovery Index and patient satisfaction.

resultsTwo hundred and fifty-four patients completed the 12-month follow-up, with 260 men and 31 women analysed. The mean pre-operative SFQ score was 21.6 ± 15.8, with cutoffs of 20/24 for predicting acute/chronic pain. The mean pre-operative ANRS score was 3.7 ± 2.5, with an optimal cutoff of 4. Patients with SFQ at least 21 had worse postoperative outcomes at all time points (

conclusionPre-operative anxiety evaluation allows for the identification of patients at a high risk for postoperative complications. Both instruments demonstrated some ability to predict postoperative pain and might be valuable in the pre-operative setting, with the SFQ showing better performance.

trial registrationNCT03499730.

Identifiers

PMID42244825
PMCPMC13232928

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.