title: Can providing paging devices relieve waiting room anxiety?
abstract: 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 (i.e., P < .03) and a greater percentage of time spent outside surgical waiting rooms (i.e., P < .00) than the group that did not receive paging devices.
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Ohio, School of Nursing, Toledo, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Topp
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006747:Hospital Communication Systems; D006801:Humans; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000523:psychology*