Iran Journal of Nursing

 Background & Aim: Extensive surgical interventions as diagnostic and therapeutic methods can cause anxiety in patients. Therefore, health care professionals such as nurses should try to reduce the level of patients' anxiety by addressing beneficial effects of providing preoperative information. The main purpose of the study was to determine the effect of education using a booklet in different times (1 day and 6 day before surgery) on anxiety level of patients as candidates for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG), in Tehran Heart Center Hospital, 2006.

 Material & method: The study design was a clinical trial. The total sample size was 60 patients. Thirty subjects were given a booklet 1 day before surgery and another group, received education, 6 days before surgery. Sampling method was consecutive. The Spiellberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was used for data collection at pre and post education.

 Results: The result indicated that the anxiety level decreased in both groups, but paired t-test showed that the difference of state anxiety and trait anxiety in the first group (received education at 1 day before operation) at pre and post intervention were statistically significant (t=3.27, P.value=0.030), (t=2.23, P.value=0.034) respectively, whereas there was not statistically significant difference of anxiety level in the group of patient who received education 6 days before the surgery, at pre and post intervention.

 Conclusion: According to the results, providing educational booklets to the patients in clinical setting one day before surgery, seems more applicable which could reduce patients' anxiety effectively.