 Introduction: The incidence of preoperative anxiety has a high incidence rate thought to be related to the management of the operation and the amount of information delivered related to surgery and anesthesia.  Objective: To determine changes in anxiety levels in elective surgery patients after a preoperative visit to General Hospital of Haji Adam Malik, Medan.  Method: This research is a quantitative analytic study with cross-sectional design. The study was conducted at the General Hospital of Haji Adam Malik, Medan from May - June 2019. The total sample obtained was 120. The data collection used the APAIS questionnaire.  Results: From the results, 58 people (48.3%) had preoperative anxiety before a preoperative visit, and 32 people (26.7%) had preoperative anxiety after a preoperative visit. Statistical test results using the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test at 95% CI and α = 0.05 obtained p value 0.001 (p <0.05) which means significant differences in the incidence of anxiety before and after a preoperative visit.  Conclusion: There were significant differences in the incidence of anxiety before and after a preoperative visit.

Keywords : Preoperative Anxiety, Preoperative Visit, Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety Information Scale (APAIS)