Effects of Comfort Warming on Preoperative Patients

ABSTRACT •THERMAL COMFORT IS ONE DIMENSION of overall patient comfort, and it usually is addressed by covering the patient with warmed cotton blankets. •WARMING HELPS A PATIENT maintain normothermia and appears to decrease patient anxiety. •AN STUDY WAS CONDUCTED in a preoperative setting to compare the effects of preoperative warming with warmed cotton blankets versus patient-controlled warming gowns on patients' perceptions of thermal comfort and anxiety. •BOTH WARMING INTERVENTIONS had a positive effect on patients' thermal comfort and sense of well-being. Patients who used the patient-controlled warming gown also experienced a significant reduction in preoperative anxiety. AORN J 84 (September 2006) 427-448. © AORN, Inc, 2006.