A review of 17 studies identified that maintaining family presence, providing adapted information, and using pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies can reduce pre-catheterization anxiety.
What are the causes of anxiety and effective strategies to reduce it in patients awaiting cardiac catheterization?
This review highlights the importance of humanized assistance, including family presence and clear communication, to reduce anxiety in patients awaiting cardiac catheterization.
OBJECTIVE: To identify researches related to anxiety and strategies to reduce it in patients who are in the pre-cardiac catheterization period. METHODS: A bibliographic research was carried out in the on line databases of PubMed, MedLine, CINAHL, LILACS and SciELO, from 1997 to 2009 in MedLine and from 1999 to 2009 in the others databases. The boolean expressions "and" and "or" has been used with the descriptors in Portuguese and in English. The inclusion of discerning was related about the presence, level and workable of the anxiety from the period of pre-cardiac catheterization. RESULTS: Coping most of 17 researches selected were in American scientific publications, with experimental-descriptive studies. The possibilities of intercurrence and/or complications during and post-procedure, diagnostic, possibility of bad prognostic, being alone during the waiting, the first time submission the procedure, lost information and/or orientation and long time waiting could cause anxiety in pre-cardiac catheterization. Maintenance of escort and family alongside the patient, information adapted to the patient understanding level, overcoming traumas and difficulties with a multiprofessional approach, pharmacologic and non pharmacologic therapies were strategies to reduce the anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: The nurses are responsible to provide a humanized assistance to offer a fast recuperation, minimize traumas of the hospitalization and the procedure. The knowledge of the causes and the strategies are fundamental to reduce the level of anxiety in pre-catheterization cardiac.
Buzatto et al. (Wed,) conducted a review in Anxiety before cardiac catheterization (n=17). Strategies to reduce anxiety was evaluated on Causes of anxiety and strategies to reduce it. A review of 17 studies identified that maintaining family presence, providing adapted information, and using pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapies can reduce pre-catheterization anxiety.