Abstract
Background and aims: Anxiety is a common reaction when people encounter new problems where they do not know what expect. The nurses are responsible for assessing the patient and helping them with the procedure of endoscopy. This study investigates differences in anxiety level of patients who receive nursing process of Orlando's theory prior to endoscopy examination compared to a control group. Methods: A Quasi -experimental research design was used in this study. Samples were 60 adult patients who were randomly assigned to two groups (30 patients each). Patients in the study group receive nursing process of Orlando's theory by the researcher plus the routine hospital intervention, while the control group only received the routine hospital intervention. The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI scale) is administering to both groups before and after endoscopy examination. STAI, a self-reporting psychometric test, is used to assess state anxiety levels. STAI has demonstrated reliability and validity in previous studies. Results: Statistically significant difference was evident between the 2 groups regarding the mean of anxiety level of patients after the intervention. Before the intervention, the mean of anxiety level in the control and study groups were 47±9 and 58 ±11 and after the intervention were: 41±7, 35±7, respectively. Conclusion: Intervention groups have the lower mean of anxiety level after the intervention. Female patients in this study experienced low level anxiety compared to male patients after Orlando nursing process. The data suggest that endoscopy unit personnel and the referring physician should consider the patient’s perception of the procedure. Detailed information on the procedure and training in relaxation techniques should be given. Positive re-appraisal and information on sensations to be anticipated, rather than procedural details, will be more successful in alleviating stress and anxiety.