Determination of perceived stress situations and anxiety levels of patients who will be subjected to coronary angiography

As a result of the increase in coronary artery diseases worldwide, the increase in the number of patients undergoing coronary angiography is inevitable. Therefore, this study was planned to determine the perceived stress and anxiety levels of patients who will undergo coronary angiography (CAG). The population of the research was the coronary intensive care units of a training and research hospital. The sample consisted of 144 patients who met the research criteria. In the research, ''Personel Information Form'' and ''State and Trait Anxiety Scale'' and ''Perceived Stress Scale'' were applied to the patients. The average age of the patients was 54.31±12.50. 63.2% of the patients were male and 36.8% were female. 27.8% were high school graduates, and 57.6% had low income levels. 79.2% of the participants in the study were married and 33.3% were retired. 45.8% of the participants were smokers. In the study, 30.6% of the participants did not know their diagnosis and 64.6% had other comorbidities. Although 58.3% of the patients had CAG for diagnostic purposes, those who knew the area where angiography would be performed were 61.8%. Those who know that CAG will be performed in the groin is 48.3%, while those who know that it will be performed in the arm are 51.7%. While the state anxiety scale score was higher in those who did not know the diagnosis than in those who knew, the state anxiety scale score in those with control CAG was higher than in those who had intervention. Additionally, perceived stress scale and perceived stress subscale scores were found to be higher in those who underwent groin angiography than in those who underwent arm angiography. Uncertainty about the disease and coronary angiography affects patients' feelings of inadequacy and stress in maintaining their health. In addition, it has been determined that the area where angiography is performed also affects anxiety levels, and pre-CAG care also affects post-CAG care. These results once again emphasize the importance of knowing the factors affecting the anxiety level of patients and show that nurses should intervene in patients accordingly.