The Effect of Continuous Nursing Care Program on Anxiety Level, Episodes of Chest Pain, and Readmission Rate after Myocardial Infarction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Chest pain, anxiety, and readmission are patients’ adverse outcomes after Myocardial Infarction (MI). Therefore, post-MI patients require a proper care program to overcome these outcomes.

This study aimed to determine the effect of a continuous nursing care program on patients' anxiety level, episodes of chest pain, and readmission rate after MI.

In this randomized, controlled trial, 120 patients who met the inclusion criteria were selected using convenience sampling. The patients were allocated into the control (n = 60) and intervention (n = 60) groups using numbered opaque sealed envelopes. A demographic information form and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to collect the data (primary outcome). The patients in the intervention group received education and practical rehabilitation exercises from the beginning of hospitalization until 12 weeks after discharge. However, the control group only received the routine care. Checklists were used to record the episodes of chest pain and readmission rate (secondary outcomes). The data were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 16.0. The data were distributed normally based on the results of Shapiro–Wilk test. Hence, they were analyzed using descriptive (mean, standard deviation, number, and percentage) and inferential (independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square, Mann–Whitney U test, and Fisher's exact test) statistics.

The results revealed a significant reduction in the readmission rate (P = 0.014) and episodes of chest pain (P = 0.025) in the intervention group after the implementation of the continuous nursing care program. The results also showed a significant difference between the two groups regarding the mean scores of trait and state anxiety 12 weeks after discharge (P = 0.001). Accordingly, anxiety levels reduced significantly in the intervention group after the intervention (P = 0.001).

This continuous nursing care program, as a low-cost and non-pharmacological approach, played a vital role in caring for the patients after MI and positively affected the patients' recovery. Hence, this program could be used to improve post-MI outcomes in patients and accelerate their recovery.