Nurse-Led Emotional Freedom Technique for Preoperative Anxiety and Fear in Thyroid Surgery (EFT)

March 5, 2026 updated by: Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

The Effect of Emotional Freedom Techniques on Preoperative Anxiety and Fear in Patients Undergoing Thyroid Surgery

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a non-invasive, low-cost complementary intervention that has been used in various clinical settings to reduce anxiety and psychological distress. Although previous studies have suggested the potential benefits of EFT in general anxiety and postoperative psychological outcomes, evidence regarding its effectiveness in patients undergoing thyroid surgery is limited. Thyroid surgery is associated with unique sources of preoperative anxiety and fear due to potential complications related to voice, swallowing, and hormonal balance.

This randomized controlled study aims to evaluate the effect of Emotional Freedom Technique on preoperative anxiety and fear in patients undergoing thyroid surgery. Eligible patients will be randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving EFT in addition to standard preoperative nursing care or to a control group receiving standard preoperative nursing care alone. EFT will be administered by trained nurses following a standardized protocol during the preoperative period. Anxiety and fear levels will be assessed using validated measurement tools before and after the intervention. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to evidence-based nursing practices and to support the integration of complementary interventions into perioperative nursing care.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is designed as a randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest control group design. The study will be conducted in the surgical clinic of Yeditepe University Koşuyolu Hospital among patients scheduled for thyroid surgery. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group.

The intervention group will receive Emotional Freedom Technique in addition to routine preoperative nursing care, while the control group will receive routine preoperative nursing care only. Emotional Freedom Technique will be administered by trained nurses in a quiet and comfortable environment during the preoperative period. Preoperative anxiety and fear levels will be assessed before and after the intervention using validated measurement tools. The study aims to evaluate the effect of Emotional Freedom Technique on preoperative anxiety and fear within the scope of perioperative nursing care.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

70

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Yeditepe University Kosuyolu Hospital
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Selda Rızalar

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients scheduled for thyroid surgery
  • Aged 18 years and older
  • Able to speak and understand Turkish
  • Literate (able to read and write)
  • No visual, hearing, or mental impairment
  • Able to communicate effectively
  • Preoperative anxiety and fear level of 3 or higher according to the Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) scale

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of a neurological disorder
  • Diagnosed psychiatric disorder and current use of medication for this condition
  • Previous training related to coping with anxiety or fear
  • Previous participation in an energy therapy course
  • Presence of infection, wound, or scar at the tapping (touch) sites

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Intervention Group
Participants in this group will receive Emotional Freedom Technique in addition to routine preoperative nursing care.
Behavioral: Emotional Freedom Technique
Emotional Freedom Technique will be administered by trained nurses during the preoperative period according to a standardized protocol.
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants in this group will receive routine preoperative nursing care only.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Surgical Anxiety Scale for Adult Patients Total Score (Range: 0-68)
Time Frame: From baseline (pre-intervention) to immediately after the intervention (approximately 30 minutes later, preoperatively).
Total score measured using the Surgical Anxiety Scale for Adult Patients. Scores range from 0 to 68, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety.
From baseline (pre-intervention) to immediately after the intervention (approximately 30 minutes later, preoperatively).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Surgical Fear Questionnaire (SFQ) Total Score (Range: 0-80)
Time Frame: From baseline (pre-intervention, preoperative period) to immediately after the intervention (approximately 30 minutes later, preoperatively).
Total score measured using the Surgical Fear Questionnaire (SFQ). The scale consists of 8 items rated on an 11-point Likert scale (0-10), with total scores ranging from 0 to 80. Higher scores indicate greater surgical fear.
From baseline (pre-intervention, preoperative period) to immediately after the intervention (approximately 30 minutes later, preoperatively).
Change in Subjective Units of Distress (SUD) Score (Range: 0-10)
Time Frame: Immediately before and immediately after the EFT session (approximately 25-30 minutes).
Measured using the Subjective Units of Distress Scale (SUDS). Scores range from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater emotional distress.
Immediately before and immediately after the EFT session (approximately 25-30 minutes).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Selda Rızalar, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

February 9, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

July 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 16, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

March 6, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 25-10

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

This study is conducted as a single-center thesis research. To protect participant confidentiality and in accordance with ethics committee approval, individual participant data will not be shared with other researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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