Self-touches as a behavioural marker of preoperative anxiety

Editor—Although European guidelines in anaesthesia recommend systematic evaluation and mitigation of preoperative anxiety,1 this aspect of preoperative care is often neglected in daily practice.2 Preoperative anxiety can impair memory of important instructions and increase acute and chronic postoperative pain.3,4 Usual self-administered questionnaires or scales to assess anxiety in the preoperative setting are time-consuming and rely on patient...