Update on research-based interventions for anxiety in patients with cancer

Abstract

Anxiety may begin at the moment a person is diagnosed with cancer and may fluctuate throughout the cancer trajectory as physical illness improves or declines. The purpose of this article is to present current evidence for nurses to implement interventions to reduce anxiety in patients who have cancer. The PubMed and CINAHL® databases were searched to identify relevant citations addressing interventions that treat or prevent anxiety symptoms in patients with cancer. Based on available evidence, the interventions addressed herein are categorized according to the Putting Evidence Into Practice (PEP®) rating schema. Interventions include pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches to care, and meet criteria for three PEP categories: likely to be effective, effectiveness not established (the largest category of results), or effectiveness unlikely.