Anxiety Management for Needle Localization
Abstract
Unaddressed anxiety of individuals undergoing needle localized breast biopsy (NLBBx) may lead to delays in follow-up care and changes in anesthetic plans, increasing healthcare costs and adversely impacting patient short and long-term well-being. Clinical Question or Purpose: The purpose of this project was to improve the patient experience by developing and implementing a process improvement (PI) project for the assessment and management of anxiety in patients undergoing needle localization prior to breast surgery. Project Design: This was a PI project utilizing a pre- and post-implementation design. All patients undergoing NLBBx between May 2017 and November 2017 completed a patient data questionnaire (PDQ) (Appendix A) prior to discharge to measure patient satisfaction and assess patient experience. The project was implemented on September 2017 to allow patients undergoing NLBBx to receive anxiolysis prior to needle placement in interventional radiology (IR). Analysis of the Results: After implementation of the project, more patients endorsed the medications given before needle placement as beneficial (60 percent pre- vs 100 percent post-implementation) and their experience in IR as discomfort-free (10 percent pre- vs 37 percent post-implementation). Organizational Impact/Implications for Practice: Unrelieved patient anxiety may result in decreased postoperative satisfaction, and potentially increase the financial burden on the health care system through costlier interventions and prolonging treatment. By providing anxiolysis prior to NLBBx in IR, we can improve the patient experience and potentially decrease patient anxiety. By addressing anxiety, we can provide the best anesthetic intervention, achieve better patient outcomes, diminish postoperative recovery time, and decrease overall cost to the health care system.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 15, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1128046
Entities
People
- Jorge A. Arizpe
- Keren L. Stimeling
- Lonnie Hodges
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences