Abstract
ackground: Withoutstructured assessment anxiety is one of the most overlooked
symptomsin advanced cancer patients. Systematic assessment of anxiety is not imbedded
in daily care. Anxiety management often depends on the clinical impressions of the bedside
nurse. To improve structural assessment of anxiety, insight into the current practice and
reasonsfor nursesto apply measurement instrumentsis needed.
Aim: To get insight into the application of instrumentsin order to improve structural
assessment of anxiety.
Methods: An explanatory mixed method design. Retrospective data were collected from
nursing files of advanced cancer patients admitted between Oct. 2012 – Feb. 2013 in an
university hospital, general hospital and a high care hospice. In addition,semi-structured
interviews were carried out.
Results: In total, 155 nursing files were analysed and 12 nurses were interviewed. Four
different instruments were used to identify,screen or analyse anxiety. The frequency of used
instruments and the frequency of reported anxiety by nursesin daily nursing files, differed
significantly between settings. The main reasonsto use instruments were improvement of
communication with patients and other professionals. Lack of knowledge wasthe
fundamental cause for neglecting suitable instruments, other factors were poorly imbedded
multidisciplinary standards and patient- and environmental factors.
Conclusion / Discussion: A reason for increased frequency of anxiety mentioned in nursing
files could be explained by the use of instruments. Although most nurses were convinced of
the added value of instruments, they do not apply instruments because of patient and
environmental factors but mainly due to a lack of knowledge on the application of these
instruments. A training program for nurses, focusing on knowledge and competencies on
the use of instrumentsin daily practice could be a firststep to ameliorate anxiety
management in practice.
symptomsin advanced cancer patients. Systematic assessment of anxiety is not imbedded
in daily care. Anxiety management often depends on the clinical impressions of the bedside
nurse. To improve structural assessment of anxiety, insight into the current practice and
reasonsfor nursesto apply measurement instrumentsis needed.
Aim: To get insight into the application of instrumentsin order to improve structural
assessment of anxiety.
Methods: An explanatory mixed method design. Retrospective data were collected from
nursing files of advanced cancer patients admitted between Oct. 2012 – Feb. 2013 in an
university hospital, general hospital and a high care hospice. In addition,semi-structured
interviews were carried out.
Results: In total, 155 nursing files were analysed and 12 nurses were interviewed. Four
different instruments were used to identify,screen or analyse anxiety. The frequency of used
instruments and the frequency of reported anxiety by nursesin daily nursing files, differed
significantly between settings. The main reasonsto use instruments were improvement of
communication with patients and other professionals. Lack of knowledge wasthe
fundamental cause for neglecting suitable instruments, other factors were poorly imbedded
multidisciplinary standards and patient- and environmental factors.
Conclusion / Discussion: A reason for increased frequency of anxiety mentioned in nursing
files could be explained by the use of instruments. Although most nurses were convinced of
the added value of instruments, they do not apply instruments because of patient and
environmental factors but mainly due to a lack of knowledge on the application of these
instruments. A training program for nurses, focusing on knowledge and competencies on
the use of instrumentsin daily practice could be a firststep to ameliorate anxiety
management in practice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 195 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 8 May 2015 |
| Event | EAPC 2015 14th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care: Building Bridges - Copenhagen, Denmark Duration: 8 May 2015 → 10 May 2015 https://eapc-2015.org/words-of-welcome/articles/words-of-welcome-committee.html |
Conference
| Conference | EAPC 2015 14th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | Denmark |
| City | Copenhagen |
| Period | 8/05/15 → 10/05/15 |
| Internet address |