Hypnosis for anaesthetists: a systematic review and meta‐analyses

AnaesthesiaPublished 24 Sep 2025Systematic review and meta-analysis

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Authors' conclusion

Hypnosis may help reduce anxiety, alleviate pain during and after a procedure and lower the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting.

Study context

Population: Children and adults undergoing any intervention requiring the presence of an anaesthetist
Participants: 9,238 children · 142 studies

Methodological detailsrandom-effects models, stratified on hypnosis timing, additional analyses including non-randomised controlled studies

As reported in the abstract

Evidence of impact of hypnosis on other outcomes lacking (no pooled primary outcome result reported)

Outcome	← Lower with hypnosis ←→ Higher with hypnosis →	MD (cm) (95% CI)
Post-intervention VAS pain score, pre-intervention hypnosis	−2−101	−0.88 (−1.72 to −0.05)
VAS pain intensity during the intervention, per-intervention hypnosis	−2−101	−1.14 (−1.86 to −0.41)
	−2−101Difference, cm (linear scale)

Outcome	← Lower with hypnosis ←→ Higher with hypnosis →	SMD (95% CI)
Anxiety, pre-intervention hypnosis	−1.5−1−0.500.5	−0.76 (−1.14 to −0.38)
Post-intervention anxiety, per-intervention hypnosis	−1.5−1−0.500.5	−0.44 (−0.75 to −0.13)
	−1.5−1−0.500.5Difference (linear scale)

VAS pain intensity during the intervention, per-intervention hypnosis

Sensitivity analysis adding non-randomised controlled studies

Outcome	← Lower risk with hypnosis ←→ Higher risk with hypnosis →	RR (95% CI)
PONV, per-intervention hypnosis	0.20.5125	0.43 (0.25–0.74)
	0.20.5125Relative risk (log scale)

Hypnosis for anaesthetists: a systematic review and meta‐analyses. Anaesthesia. Published 24 September 2025. doi:10.1111/anae.70013

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