The effects of education on anxiety among Chinese patients with heart disease undergoing cardiac catheterization in Hong Kong

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of patient education on anxiety among Chinese patients with heart disease undergoing cardiac catheterization in Hong Kong. DESIGN: Randomized experimental design, data collected on three occasions from subjects. SETTING: A regional major hospital in Hong Kong. SUBJECTS: 62 clients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated into experimental and control groups with 31 subjects in each group. INTERVENTION: Group education before cardiac catheterization. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: State Anxiety Inventory (STAI Form Y-1) and Knowledge about Cardiac Catheterization. RESULTS: State anxiety of all subjects reached the highest at the time just before cardiac catheterization and recorded the lowest at the time following the procedure. A lower level of anxiety was experienced by the experimental subjects who received the education intervention when compared with the control subjects who did not receive the education intervention before cardiac catheterization. CONCLUSION: The study provides initial information about anxiety reduction with education intervention among Chinese heart disease patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. It is envisaged that the study may also assist health professionals in developing and designing effective educational programmes for clients prior to cardiac catheterization.