Background: Hospitalization in cardiac intensive care units is always associated with negative consequences such as anxiety for patients. Since the family plays a vital role in the care of hospitalized patients, its positive effects are still questionable.Aim: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of
patient companion programmed participation in primary nursing care on anxiety among patients in the cardiac intensive care unit.Method: This study was a quasi-experimental research with pre-and post-test design with a control group. The study population consisted of all eligible patients admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit of Razi Hospital in Birjand, Iran. A total of ۴۸ patients was selected in a control (۲۴) and intervention groups (۲۴) through stratified block randomization with a block size of ۴ patients. The patients’ companions in the intervention group were allowed to attend the patients as planned for ۳ days of ۳۰ minutes and contribute to their clinical primary care. In the control group, the visit was still prohibited.
Anxiety was measured in both groups at the beginning and on the third day of the patient’s admission using the State-Trait
Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version ۱۶).Results: The results indicated that anxiety reduced in both groups ۳ days after hospitalization, however, this reduction was statistically more significant in the intervention group (p=۰.۰۰۱). The anxiety score in the control group before and after the intervention was not significantly different (P=۰.۵۶). but anxiety score in the intervention group before intervention was ۵۶.۲۹±۱۶.۷۹ which decreased to ۴۶.۴۳± ۱۲.۳۲ after the intervention and paired t-test showed a significant difference (P=۰.۰۱).Implications for Practice: The supportive presence of a patient’s companion in the cardiac intensive care unit significantly reduces patients' anxiety. Therefore, it is recommended to use the programmed presence and participation of the patient’s companion as a non-pharmacological intervention to reduce patients' anxiety by reviewing the sessions.