Premium
Can Providing Paging Devices Relieve Waiting Room Anxiety?
Author(s) -
Topp Robert,
Walsh Eileen,
Sanford Carol
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
aorn journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 43
eISSN - 1878-0369
pISSN - 0001-2092
DOI - 10.1016/s0001-2092(06)62648-3
Subject(s) - pager , paging , anxiety , medicine , surgical procedures , medical emergency , physical therapy , emergency medicine , surgery , psychiatry , computer science , telecommunications , operating system
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of providing individuals who are waiting for surgical patients with digital pagers. Twenty‐eight subjects received routine waiting room procedures, and 29 subjects were given digital pagers during surgical procedures. Subjects completed questionnaires concerning activity, state anxiety, and their perceived threat while patients were undergoing surgical procedures. The group that received the paging devices reported significantly greater state anxiety (ie, P < .03) and a greater percentage of time spent outside surgical waiting rooms (ie, P < .00) than the group that did not receive paging devices. AORN J 67 (March 1998) 852‐861.