Fear in Patients Undergoing Bronchoscopy and Its Causes

Abstract

Objective: Bronchoscopy is an invasive procedure that can cause a feeling of suffocation and cough. It may cause fear, discomfort, and anxiety in individuals. The aim of this research is to determine the fear and its causes before the procedure in patients undergoing bronchoscopy. Methods: This descriptive research was conducted between April 2019 and September 2019 with the participation of 138 patients who underwent elective bronchoscopy with various indications in the endoscopy unit of a university hospital. "Patient Information Form" and "Bronchoscopy Fear Questionnaire" were used for data collection. The data were analyzed using Chi-squared test in IBM SPSS 22.0 program. The level of significance in statistical analysis was accepted as p<0.05. Results: It was found that the average age of the patients was 62.4±11.5 (24-88) years. Of these patients, 79.7% (n=110) of them were males and 78.3% (n=108) were primary school graduates. It was found that 57.2% of the patients (n=79) felt fear of the bronchoscopy process in general. However, 93.5% of the patients agreed to undergo the procedure under the same conditions when necessary. It was determined that the patients' fear of the bron-choscopy procedure differed statistically significantly according to age and gender (p<0.05). Conclusion: These research results reveal that patients who undergo bronchoscopy experience fear of the process in general and that male patients or patients over the age of 61 are more prone to procedural fear. To optimize patient comfort and satisfaction, it is recommended that physicians and nurses working in endoscopy units question the presence of procedural fear before the procedure and help patients reduce their fears.