Examining the Effect of Nursing Counseling on Anxiety and Depression in the Elderly Patients Undergoing Open Heart Surgery

Introduction: Anxiety and depression are of the most common psychological responses of the old patients who experience open heart surgery. Nursing counseling is among the most effective nursing interventions to control anxiety and depression in the elderly. Purpose: To determine the effect of nursing counseling on the level of anxiety and depression among the elderly patients undergoing open heart surgery Method: In this clinical trial study, 50 elderly patients admitted to the cardiac wards of Shahid Rajaei Hospital, Karaj were selected according to the inclusion criteria and were randomly divided into two groups: intervention and control. Six sessions were performed for the elderly in the nursing counseling intervention group. Data was collected using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and analyzed using statistical methods and SPSS 20. Results: The mean age of the participants in the intervention group was 67.8 ± 4.97 and 66.8 ± 4.26 years in the control group, which was not statistically significant (P = 0.449). Examining the individuals in terms of other demographic characteristics did not show statistically significant differences either. The results showed that the reduction in anxiety and depression levels after the intervention was significantly different in the intervention compared to the control group (P<0.005). The application of results in the clinic: According to the results, nursing counseling has reduced anxiety and depression in the elderly patients who undergo open heart surgery; thus, one can use it as a non-pharmacological intervention to reduce anxiety and depression in the elderly patients.