BACKGROUND

Anxiety and cognitive dysfunction are common concerns in neurological intensive care units (ICUs) and are associated with adverse outcomes, including delirium. Addressing these issues effectively is crucial for improving patient outcomes and quality of care.

AIM

To develop an anxiety-focused nursing intervention programme and investigate the effects of this programme on anxiety levels, cognitive function and the incidence of delirium among patients in a neurological ICU.

STUDY DESIGN

A non-randomized controlled design was employed.

METHOD

The outcome variables of experimental and control groups were compared. Sixty patients in a 1235-bed tertiary general hospital ICU in South Korea were assigned to the experimental (n = 30) or control group (n = 30), which were administered the anxiety nursing intervention and standard care, respectively. Anxiety and cognitive function were measured before and after the intervention, while the incidence of delirium was monitored throughout the study period.

RESULTS

The results showed that the experimental group exhibited significantly lower anxiety levels (t = 6.83, p < 0.001) and improved cognitive function (t = 2.56, p = 0.013) compared to that of the control group. Additionally, the incidence of delirium in the experimental group was significantly reduced (χ = 11.28, p = 0.001) post-intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The anxiety nursing intervention programme effectively reduces anxiety, improves cognitive function and decreases the incidence of delirium in patients with neurocritical conditions.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

These findings highlight the essential role of comprehensive nursing interventions in addressing the psychological and cognitive needs of patients with neurocritical conditions. Training nurses to implement the developed protocol is vital to improve patient outcomes in neurological intensive care settings.