Effects of preparatory information of a myelogram on patients' expectations and anxiety levels.

The major purposes of this quasi-experimental study were to describe the differences between pre-myelogram anxiety levels in patients who received pre-test information and those who received no preparatory information, to examine differences in post-teaching anxiety level between patients who received "sensory information" and those who received "procedural information," to measure the degree to which patients' expectations were congruent with their actual myelogram experience, and to determine the relationship between the teaching protocols and the incidence of post-myelogram side effects. Thirty patients were randomly assigned to one of three information conditions; sensory, procedural or no information. The intervention consisted of a 5-min tape recorded message of either procedural or sensory information. Patients who received procedural information reported less anxiety than patients who received no information or sensory information. Congruence between expected and actual sensations experienced was not found. Subjects exposed to sensory information reported significantly greater number of side effects than subjects in the control or procedural groups.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes