Patients' Anxiety in Intensive Care Units and Its Related Factors / 간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe patients' anxiety in the ICU and to investigate related factors on the anxiety level. METHODS: An exploratory cross-sectional survey design was used. Forty-eight patients participated in the study. Questionnaires were asked to patients who had been cared in the ICUs. RESULTS: Related to the anxiety level, the mean of the total anxiety score was 5.47, and 60% of the patients had moderate or severe level of anxiety. Patients from the coronary care unit had a significantly higher level of anxiety than those from surgical intensive care unit or pulmonary surgery care unit. Moreover, significantly different levels of anxiety were found among patients who had been stayed for 2, 3, or 4 days. CONCLUSION: Patients who were from the coronary care unit or had been stayed longer (up to 4 days) in the ICU were significantly associated with higher anxiety level.