Effects of a peer- led group education on fear, anxiety and depression levels of patients undergoing coronary angiography.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of the peer group education on the fear, anxiety and depression levels of the patients undergoing angiography.

METHODS: In this clinical trial, 70 patients referred to Vali-E-Asr clinic of Fasa (Iran) for undergoing coronary angiography were selected by random sampling and divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group (n=35) received the necessary instructions about coronary angiography by those in a trained peer group (Two former patients, having experienced in the procedure), while in the control group (n=35) the routine instructions were presented by the department's nurses. The levels of fear, anxiety and depression of the patients were measured both before and after conducting this intervention.

RESULTS: The mean score of the patients' fear and anxiety after the intervention of the peers in the experimental group was reduced compared to that of the control group (p<0.05). But for the mean of the score of the depression test, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups after the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that utilizing the peer group education is effective for reducing the fear and anxiety of patients undergoing coronary angiography.