The effect of written material and verbal method education on anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction in selected hospitals in Iran

Introduction: myocardial infarction (mi) is the damage to the heart muscle,or myocardium, resulting from the lack of blood flow to the heart. mi patientsexperience mental and emotional problems such as depression and anxiety.these complications could cause delay in resuming work, decreased quality oflife and increased risk of death. the role of education in facilitating adaptationis very important in these patients. the purpose of this study was to determinethe effect of written material and verbal method education on anxiety anddepression in patients with myocardial infarction in urmia hospital in 2009.methods: this study was a quasi-experimental study, comparing the effect ofeducation on anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarctionin hospitals affiliated to urmia university of medical science. 124 patientswere selected randomly and divided into two groups. the experimentalgroup was educated through face to face training and an educational booklet(written material and verbal method). the control group did not receive anyintervention. the level of anxiety and depression was evaluated, using hadsquestionnaire at 3 intervals: after 48 hours of admission, the discharge day and2 months after discharge.results: the findings suggested that mi patients were worried about their socialrole, interpersonal relations and personal health. such problems can aggravatesymptoms and complicate the future care. there was no significant differencebetween the control and experimental groups before the intervention, butafter the intervention, anxiety and depression in the experimental group wassignificantly less than that in the control group (p < 0.05).conclusion: considering the beneficial results obtained from written materialsand verbal method education on reducing anxiety and depression in cases withmyocardial infarction, this may be one of the health care goals. more researchon more patients is required to achieve more conclusive results.