The effects of psychological intervention on anxiety symptoms of COVID19-positive patients isolated in hospital wards

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to explore the effects of psychological intervention on alleviating anxiety in patients in novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) isolation wards.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between January 24th, 2020 and March 5th, 2020, 103 patients were studied. Among these, 32 were patients in the isolation ward of the Infectious Disease Department in Baoding Second Hospital with suspected 2019-nCoV, and 71 patients diagnosed with 2019-nCoV were in the Tangshan Infectious Disease Hospital. Of the 103 patients included, 97 cases were observed in isolation. Using a self-control study design, each patient's anxiety was scored on a self-rating anxiety scale before receiving the psychological intervention (on the 7th day of isolation) and after receiving the intervention (on the 14th day of isolation). The severity of anxiety was evaluated based on the anxiety score before receiving the intervention. The anxiety scores before and after receiving the intervention were then compared using the paired t-test, and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

After receiving the psychological intervention once or twice a week, the anxiety of the patients improved significantly after one week.

CONCLUSIONS

The anxiety of patients with 2019-nCoV in isolation wards can be alleviated through psychological intervention. By alleviating patient anxiety, this intervention also helps patients maintain their psychological wellbeing, which promotes rehabilitation and helps with the control of 2019-nCoV.

Clinical studies in 500 patients with aortoarteritis

Five hundred patients with aortoarteritis were studied in this series. The long-term administration of small dosage of corticosteroid is effective in treating this disease in its active stage. The patients with renal vascular hypertension should be treated by percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty or by surgery if indicated. About one third of the pulsations of the involved arteries were improved. The incidence of complications was 17% and the mortality rate was 11% in this series. Cerebral thrombosis was found as a common complication and hemorrhage as a common cause of death. Three patients died of heart failure without aortic regurgitation. Five-year and ten-year survival rates were 93.1% and 91.1% respectively.