Key result
Most screening staff agree men in AAA surveillance need anxiety support, favoring nurse-led management.
Why the study?
Anxiety related to abdominal aortic aneurysm surveillance may impact men's quality of life, but optimal ways to help manage this anxiety are unclear.
Cross-Sectional (n=99)
Yes
A co-designed comprehensive information booklet is highly acceptable to men in AAA surveillance, providing value and potentially reducing uncertainties and anxiety related to their diagnosis.
Staff endorse nurse-led anxiety support in AAA surveillance; hypothesis-generating pending prospective trials.
BACKGROUND: AAA is an enlargement in the aorta that can increase in size and rupture. In England, the National Health Service (NHS) AAA Screening Programme offers screening to all men aged 65 to identify those with an AAA. Men with small or medium sized aneurysm enter surveillance where they receive ultrasound scans annually or every three months respectively. Due to concerns about mortality from AAA rupture, anxiety levels may be high for men and their families and impact on their quality of life. AIM: To obtain the views of staff providing Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening on how best to help men in surveillance to manage AAA-related anxiety. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey of the 38 AAA regional screening services in England was conducted. Four staff with different roles from each service (doctor, nurse, manager and scanning technician) were asked to complete an online questionnaire. RESULTS: The response rate was 71 % (27/38) for regional AAA screening services and 65 % (99/152) for the staff approached. 93 % (79/84) of respondents strongly or somewhat agreed that men in surveillance may need help to manage anxiety. The size of the aneurysm was rated as the factor most likely to cause anxiety. 63 % (51/81) considered AAA Programme Nurses to be the best people to deliver an intervention. Staff suggested that improved information about AAA and associated risks, group support/networking sessions, and more contact with the screening service were ways of helping with management of anxiety. CONCLUSION: Staff providing AAA screening recognised that being in surveillance can cause anxiety for men and their families, and identified that potential interventions, such as organised support groups and improved provision of information, might help manage anxiety. Programme Nurses were considered the ideal healthcare professional to help men in surveillance manage AAA-related anxiety.
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Lumley et al. (2024) conducted a cross-sectional in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) screening surveillance (n=99). Survey on AAA-related anxiety management was evaluated on Agreement that men in surveillance may need help to manage anxiety. In a survey of 99 NHS screening staff, 93% agreed that men in AAA surveillance may need help managing anxiety, and 63% identified programme nurses as the best professionals to deliver interventions.
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