To investigate the effect of motivational interviewing combined with music relaxation therapy during the waiting period before surgery on anxiety and postoperative recovery of elderly patients with inguinal hernia.

Participants were 140 elderly inguinal hernia patients admitted in the general surgery department of Anqing City Hospital from July 2017 to July 2020. Patients were randomly divided into observation group and control group according to the random number table, with 70 patients in each group. Patients in the control group were given routine nursing before surgery, while patients in the observation group were given motivational interview combined with music relaxation therapy on the basis of routine nursing before surgery. Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and self-rating depression scale (SDS) of the two groups were recorded at different time points. The operation and postoperative recovery of the two groups were compared. The clinical efficacy and complication rates of the two groups were compared.

SAS and SDS scores of the observation group were lower than those of the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). Postoperative and intraoperative blood loss, anal exhaust time, time of getting out of bed activity and hospital stay in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total clinical effective rate of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). The total incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.05).

The application of motivational interviewing combined with music relaxation therapy in elderly inguinal hernia patients can effectively reduce their anxiety, contribute to the smooth operation, improve the treatment effect and reduce complications.