Meditation for perioperative pain and anxiety: A systematic review.
Rami Rajjoub, Sally El Sammak, Tamim Rajjo, Noora S Rajjoub, Bashar Hasan, Samer Saadi, Adel Kanaan, Mohamad Bydon
Brain and Behavior July 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3640 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 16 |
| Population | Patients undergoing invasive procedures |
| Intervention | meditative practices |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Pain Perioperative outcomes |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key findings | Meditation practices may reduce perioperative pain and anxiety, with nine of ten studies showing decreased anxiety and five of eight showing improved pain scores. |
Abstract
Effective pain and anxiety management during the perioperative phase remains a challenge for patients undergoing surgeries and other invasive procedures. The current standard of care involves prescribing analgesics to treat these conditions; however, there has been recent interest in applying multimodal strategies that limit the use of these medications. One such modality is meditation, which has been shown to be effective in alleviating various physical and psychological symptoms in other settings. This systematic review aims to assess how current meditative practices affect perioperative pain and anxiety. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, APA PsycINFO, EBM Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science for all available dates. Our primary outcomes of interest were patient-reported pain and anxiety scores using the Visual Analog Scale, the Brief Pain Inventory, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). For the HADS and STAI scales, only the anxiety and anxiety-state subgroups were reported, respectively. The literature search yielded 1746 articles. A total of 286 full-text articles were screened, and 16 studies were included in this systematic review. A total of eight studies assessed pain scores after invasive procedures; five reported improvements in pain scores, and three reported no change after meditative practices. Ten studies assessed anxiety outcomes after invasive procedures: nine reported a decrease in overall anxiety levels as a result of meditation practices while one study reported no change in anxiety scores. Data from this limited literature suggests that different meditation practices could be effective in alleviating pain and anxiety within the perioperative phase for patients undergoing various types of invasive procedures. Future prospective studies are needed to determine whether routine meditation in the perioperative setting is effective in mitigating perioperative pain and anxiety.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 18
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Investigation of mindfulness meditation practitioners with voxel-based morphometry Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience December 3, 2007
- Effect of Guided Imagery Meditation During Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy on Reducing Anxiety: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Pain Management Nursing July 1, 2022
- Guided meditation as an adjunct to enhance postoperative recovery after cardiac surgery: study protocol for a prospective randomized controlled feasibility trial. Trials January 11, 2019
- Mindfulness-Based Meditation Versus Progressive Relaxation Meditation: Impact on Chronic Pain in Older Female Patients With Diabetic Neuropathy Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine 2019
and 13 more in the library