The Effect of “Nurse Companionship” on Anxiety and Vital Sign Changes of Cesarean Section Candidates: A Randomized Control Trial

Cesarean section (C-section) is one of the most common surgeries for women, which has numerous complications including anxiety and vital sign changes. Various non-drug methods exist for controlling these complications. Although nurse companionship is one of such methods, there is little information about the accompaniment of mothers by trained nurses during the C-section surgery. This study aimed to determine the effect of “nurse companionship” on the level of anxiety and vital sign changes of C-section candidates.

Using a random allocation method, this randomized control trial was performed on 128 C-section candidates in Al-Zahra teaching hospital of Tabriz in 2017. In addition to routine cares, intervention group mothers were accompanied and supported by a nurse 1 hour before to after the C-section surgery while mothers in the control group only received routine cares for the C-section. Data collection tools were demographic information form, visual analogue scale (VAS), digital blood pressure monitor, and chronometer. The anxiety level and vital sign changes were measured one hour before, during, and one hour after the C-section surgery. Finally, data were analyzed by SPSS 24 using the mixed repeated measures ANOVA.

The comparison of the results of the two groups showed that the accompaniment of the mothers had a significant effect on reducing anxiety during (P<0.001) and 1 hour after (P=0.011) C-section surgery while it had no significant effect on vital sign changes.

The results revealed the positive effect of nurse companionship on reducing mothers’ anxiety during and after the C-section surgery. Therefore, this method can be used as non-invasive nursing care during C-section surgeries and in operating rooms. However, cost-effectiveness assessment is recommended before the implementation of this method.