ABSTRACT
Patients about to undergo anesthesia and surgery are almost inevitably anxious. There are several reasons for this, but the underlying fears are most commonly fear of the unknown and fear of not being in control. These fears reflect the stress of the circumstances - the patient is in a new situation and does not know whether or not he or she can deal with it. Measures to reduce stress, therefore, should be aimed at reducing anxiety by making the experience less "new" and by giving the patient as much control as possible.
