Effective anxiety treatment prior to diagnostic cardiac catheterization.

Music therapy, massage, guided imagery, therapeutic touch, and stress management instruction have been used successfully to decrease patient anxiety prior to diagnostic cardiac catheterization, providing better patient outcomes. The anxiety experienced among patients may have various causes, including not feeling cared about as an individual, too much waiting time before the procedure begins, and physical discomfort. This review determines nursing interventions that may effectively reduce anxiety prior to diagnostic cardiac catheterization.