Liao, M.N., Chen, P.L., Chen, M.F., & Chen, S.C. (2010). Effect of supportive care on the anxiety of women with suspected breast cancer. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66, 49–59.
To test the hypothesis that women with suspected breast cancer who received a supportive care intervention during the diagnostic phase of care would have lower anxiety than those having usual care
The intervention was supportive care, emotional support, and educational information provided by nurses through three individual meetings and two telephone calls.
Patients were undergoing the diagnostic phase of care.
A randomized controlled trial design was used.
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
Women in the intervention group had significantly lower state anxiety before biopsy and after learning the result compared to the control group (p = 0.008; p = 0.001).
Women with suspected breast cancer who received the supportive care program had lower anxiety than those receiving routine care.
Though resulting differences between groups were statistically significant, differences in scores between groups ranged from 1.14 to 2.12 on average, in a possible 80-point scale. The clinical relevance of this small difference is questionable, and the level of anxiety indicated by scores was still severe.