Effects of Forced-Air Warming Therapy on Anxiety, Pain, and Body Temperature of Patients under Local Anesthesia during Surgery: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of forced air-warming therapy on anxiety, pain, and body temperature maintenance for local anesthesia patients.Methods: The study had a nonequivalent control group, pretest-posttest design. The participants were 70 patients undergoing local anesthesia (35 in the experimental group and 35 in the control group) at a tertiary general hospital. The participants in the experimental group were provided forced air-warming blankets, and the control group was given available blankets. Data were collected from May 1 to July 31, 2020, and analyzed using SPSS/WIN 27.0, the independent t-test, Repeated Measures ANOVA, Repeated Measures ANCOVA, and the Bonferroni correction.Results: Postoperative state anxiety and pain scores significantly differed over time between the experimental and control groups. Postoperative body temperatures were also significantly different between the groups and over time.Conclusion: Applyinga forced air-warming blanket is an effective nursing intervention toreduce anxiety and pain, and increase the body temperature of patients under local anesthesia during surgery. Therefore, forced air-warming blankets should be actively used for those patients.