Effect Of Therapeutic Communication Intervention Towards Anxiety and Depression Symptoms among Cardiovascular Disease Patients Sri Suparti (a*), Susana Widyaningsih (a), Jebul Suroso (a) Rusmono (b), Wahyu Sri Utami (c)
a) Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Central Java, Indonesia, 53181
b) Intensive Cardiology Care Unit Nurse of Prof. Dr. Margono Soekarjo Hospital, Central Java, Indonesia, 53181
c)Student, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Purwokerto, Central Java, Indonesia, 53181
Abstract
Background: Patients with cardiovascular disease often suffer from anxiety symptoms and depression, which can further affect their heart disease. Therapeutic communication is considered very imperative to lessen the complications of anxiety and depression on the patients. Therapeutic communication is an approach in providing nursing care.
Objectives: to determine the effect of therapeutic communication to reduce anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with cardiovascular disease in the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU)
Methods: This study was a quasi experiment with pre and post test without control group, 40 respondents were recruited using consecutive sampling. Therapeutic communication intervention were given to patients by 15 nurses when they were treated in the ICCU standards. The nurses were blindly assessed by two observers to ensure the implementation of appropriate therapeutic communication. Anxiety and depression were measured using the Hospital and Depression Scale for anxiety (HADS) questionnaire. The data were analyzed using paired t-test.
Results: The results showed that there was a significant decrease mean (SD) score of anxiety symptoms on participants from 11.88 (3,539) to 7.95 (3.809).Moreover, depression mean (SD) score among patients with cardiovascular disease also significantly decreased from 11.45 (3.609) to 8.72 (3.412), with p-value < 0.001.
Conclusions: The application of therapeutic communication interventions is effective in reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients in the ICCU room. Screening for symptoms of anxiety and depression should be done when the patient enters the ICCU room and before the patient goes home.
