Effect of Education Using Mobile Social Networks on Anxiety and Satisfaction of Candidates for Coronary Angiography

Cardiovascular diseases are responsible for 30% of all deaths worldwide. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of education through online social media (WhatsApp) on the anxiety and satisfaction of candidates for coronary angiography.

In this study, participants were candidates for elective coronary angiography referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran from May to July 2021. They were assigned to the intervention (n=43) and control (n=43) groups. Data were collected using a demographic form, the Beck anxiety inventory (BAI) and the visual analog scale (VAS) for measuring satisfaction. Data analysis was performed in SPSS software, version 16 using independent t-test, paired t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher's exact test.

Both groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic characteristics at baseline, and there was no significant difference in BAI scores between the intervention and control groups before the intervention (P=0.229). The results of independent t-test showed a significant difference in the mean BAI score before and after intervention in two groups (P<0.001), indicating the effect of intervention on reducing anxiety. The results of independent t-test showed that the satisfaction in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group (P<0.001). The results of the paired t-test showed that in both intervention (P<0.001) and control (P=0.005) groups, the BAI score decreased significantly after the intervention compared to the pre-intervention phase. The effect size of education on anxiety was 0.9 and the effect size on satisfaction was 1.88, which shows the high effect of the educational intervention.

The use of mobile social networks for education is effective in reducing anxiety and improving satisfaction in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Therefore, this interventional method can be used by nurses as an effective method in medical centers.