Objectives: This quasi-experimental research was study the effects of an information and communication technology program on the anxiety of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients’ caregivers during patients’ admission in the Cardio-thoracic Intensive Care Unit.
Methods: The sample group was caregivers of patients receiving coronary artery bypass graft specified by the patients as important caregivers at a university hospital in Bangkok. The sample included 68 subjects with 34 subjects assigned to the control group and the remaining 34 were assigned to the experimental group. The control group received routine nursing care, while the experimental group received the information and communication technology program and routine nursing care. Data were collected using the Patient and Caregivers Demographic Record Form, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (Thai HADS), and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for measuring anxiety. Data analysis was conducted using chi-square to compare the mean anxiety scores before the date of surgery, on the date of surgery, and on the date of discharge from the ICU using independent t-test, paired t-test, and the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test for statistics.
Results: The results showed that the mean anxiety scores measured by the VAS instrument on the date of surgery and date of ICU discharge were lower in the experimental group than the control group with statistical significance (p=.01, p=.00). Although the assessment by the Thai HADS instrument found the anxiety levels in the experimental group to be lower than the control group on the date of surgery, it was not statistically significant (p>.05), whereas the experimental group had lower anxiety scores than the control group on the date of ICU discharge with statistical significance (p=.03). After the caregivers received the information and communication technology program, the mean score of anxiety of the experimental group was lower on the day of surgery and date of the ICU discharge with a statistical significance (p<.05).
Conclusions: The results show the information and communication technology program is effective decrease anxiety of (CABG) patients’ caregivers during patients’ admission in the Cardio-thoracic Intensive Care Unit.
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