Applied nursing research : ANR
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effects of intraoperative progress reports on anxiety levels of surgical patients' family members.
A three-group quasi-experimental posttest-only design was used to examine the effectiveness of intraoperative progress reports by comparing family members' state-anxiety score, mean arterial pressure level (MAP), and heart rate during elective surgical procedures. Control-group family members (n = 50) received usual care. ⋯ Family members in the experimental group reported lower state-anxiety scores (p < .001) and had significantly lower MAP levels (p < .001) and heart rates (p < .01) compared with the control and attention groups. Progress reports appear to be a beneficial independent nursing intervention for reducing anxiety in family members during the intraoperative waiting period.