Education's effects on anxiety in outpatient cardiac catheterization patients

Cardiac catheterizations are known to be anxiety provoking for patients. Originally an inpatient procedure, many are now outpatient procedures. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect that education, provided prior to the cardiac catheterization, had pre-cardiac catheterization anxiety in outpatients. This correlational study used a convenience sampling method. Fourteen males between the ages of 30 and 65 were given the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory prior to receiving, and at the conclusion of, their pre-cardiac catheterization education. The results were analyzed using the students' t-test. The State Anxiety scores decreased from pretest to post test. The Trait Anxiety scores increased from pretest to post test. These results were not statistically significant. Only the decrease in State Anxiety scores was supported by the literature, indicating education had an effect on anxiety. This study should be repeated with a larger sample size and with women.