Patient Anxiety Levels Related to Gynecologic Examinations: Gse of the Color Breathwork Relaxation Method

摘要

Patients often report anxiety related to undergoing a variety of invasive procedures, and the gynecologic examination is one of the most common of these procedures (Domar, 1985; Hilden, Sidenius, Langhoff-Roos, Wijma, & Schei, 2003; Reddy & Wasserman, 1997). For some invasive procedures, medications may be given to reduce patient anxiety levels, but often, nonpharmacologic interventions for anxiety are overlooked (Lang et al., 2006).Research has indicated that relaxation techniques can reduce patient anxiety (Menzies, Taylor, & Bourguignon, 2006; Scherwitz, McHenry, & Herrero,2005; Sloman, 2002), and most studies have investigated the impact of repeated instruction and/orpractice experiences (Louie, 2004; Scherwitz et al., 2005). The need for multiple sessions precludes use of the method with outpatients who only have a single opportunity to both learn and use a relaxation method to reduce anxiety during a stressful medical procedure.