Does the provision of patient information brochures for adult emergency appendicectomy surgery patients, reduce their anxiety ?

Randomly assigned preoperative information before appendicectomy surgery. The study will use privately produced PDF emergency surgery patient information leaflets normally costing in the region of $1 per patient to use under licence. The licence fee has been waived for the purpose of this study by the company EIDO Health Australia. The emergency surgery patient information leaflets describe accepted clinical practice and carry the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) and Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) Coat of Arms. They are also endorsed by Colleges and Associations around the world including the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons and the British Association of Day Surgery. The emergency surgery patient information leaflets are validated by clinicians, proof readers and external organisations such as the independent Plain English Campaign. The emergency surgery patient information leaflets are also endorsed by the Australian Patients Association. The information will be given (in the study group) after the patient has had surgery booked, no later than 4 hours before surgery is scheduled. The measure of anxiety will occur when surgery is booked and again after the patient has read the information (study) or 2 hours later.