Emergency nurses' use of psychosocial nursing interventions for management of ED patient fear and anxiety.

摘要

Fear and anxiety are emotions felt by patients as they enter the health care arena through the emergency department. Management of ED patient fear and anxiety is important for emergency nurses because feelings of uneasiness and worry can produce altered levels of comfort and may be antecedents to violence. Use of psychosocial nursing interventions (eg, establishment of trust between the nurse and the patient, attendance to the family, provision of information, and emotional presence) by emergency nurses is endorsed by the ENA and has the potential to mitigate ED patient fear and anxiety. The purpose of this article is to provide an empirically based literature review related to the use of psychosocial nursing interventions by emergency nurses to manage ED patient fear and anxiety.