Objectives: To investigate the effect of the peer group education on the fear, anxiety and depression levels of the patients undergoing angiography.
Methods: In this clinical trial, 70 patients referred to Vali-E-Asr clinic of Fasa (Iran) for undergoing coronary angiography were selected by random sampling and divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group (n=35) received the necessary instructions about coronary angiography by those in a trained peer group (Two former patients, having experienced in the procedure), while in the control group (n=35) the routine instructions were presented by the department's nurses. The levels of fear, anxiety and depression of the patients were measured both before and after conducting this intervention.
Results: The mean score of the patients' fear and anxiety after the intervention of the peers in the experimental group was reduced compared to that of the control group (p<0.05). But for the mean of the score of the depression test, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups after the intervention.
Conclusions: The results of this study showed that utilizing the peer group education is effective for reducing the fear and anxiety of patients undergoing coronary angiography.
Keywords: anxiety; control groups; coronary angiography; depression; fear; peer group.
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