title: Reducing anxiety in elective surgical patients.
abstract: Effective communication is the cornerstone of good healthcare. Poor communication can have serious consequences for patients and damage the nurse-patient relationship. This article explores how nurses can use communication tools with surgical patients to help relieve anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Wirral University Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust.
authors.forename: Michael John
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Pritchard
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017558:Elective Surgical Procedures / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D013527:Perioperative Nursing / Q000379:methods*