Iran Journal of Nursing

  Background &Aim: Anxiety has been known as a problem for patients undergoing gastrointestinal procedures. Consultation is an approach used to decrease anxiety and distress in patients. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of nursing consultation on the anxiety level of patientsundergoing upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

  Material& Methods : It was a quasi- experimental study. One hundred and twenty patients undergoing upper GI Endoscopy were recruited by convenient sampling and allocated randomly to either experimental (n=60) or control groups (n= 60). The experimental group received nursing consultation about endoscopy the day before the procedure for 30 minutes, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Anxiety level (recorded by spielburger questionnaire) was measured in both groups before intervention and on endoscopy day (immediately before the procedure). The data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics ( Breslow , Mantel–Haenszel , and ANCOVA using SPSS-PC (v. 11.5).

  Result : The mean score of anxiety of the experimental and control groups immediately before endoscopy was 40.1 ± 5.22 and 46.01 ± 5.51 respectively and this difference was statistically significant (P<0/0001).

 Conclusion : Nursing consultation provides a good opportunity for reducing the anxiety of patients before endoscopic examination and is recommended as a non-pharmacologic intervention to nurses working in gastrointestinal wards.

  Received: 8 Dec 2012

  Accepted: 28 Feb 2013