Clinical Research Directory

Guided Visualization Meditation for Reducing Surgical Stress Response in Cardiac Surgery Patients

This study aims to evaluate whether guided visualization meditation can reduce the surgical stress response in patients undergoing open-heart surgery. Surgical stress response includes changes in hormones, blood glucose, and anxiety levels that occur before and after major surgery. Guided visualization meditation is a non-invasive relaxation technique that uses calming audio instructions to help patients imagine peaceful scenes and reduce stress. In this study, patients scheduled for cardiac surgery will be assigned to one of two groups: an intervention group that receives guided visualization meditation and a control group that receives standard care only. Patients in the intervention group will listen to an audio recording containing guided visualization and calming background music through headphones. Sessions will be provided twice on the day before surgery, twice on the day of surgery, and twice on the first postoperative day. To evaluate the effects of the intervention, blood samples will be collected to measure cortisol, glucose, and insulin levels. Anxiety levels will be assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-I and STAI-II), and pain will be measured using a visual pain scale. These measurements will be performed at three specific time points: one day before surgery, six hours after extubation, and one day post-surgery. The goal of this research is to determine whether guided visualization meditation can help reduce stress-related physiological and psychological changes in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. If effective, this method may offer a simple, safe, and supportive strategy to improve recovery and overall patient well-being.

The Influence of Natural Sounds on the Well-being of Patients After Orthopaedic Surgery

For many people, a stay in hospital can be associated with stress and anxiety, especially after surgery. In order to potentially make the stay more pleasant for patients in future, the investigators are conducting a study to investigate the use of natural sounds to promote relaxation. Participation in this study usually lasts until 3 days after the operation in hospital. If the participants decide to take part, the participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: The intervention group or the control group. In the intervention group, the participants will listen to different natural sounds twice a day. In the control group, the participants will not receive any nature sounds. During the stay, the participants will be given two questionnaires to fill in about how you feel. Participants assigned to the intervention group will additionallyreceive a short telephone interview 14 days after the operation.