Anxiety: current practices in assessment and treatment of anxiety of burn patients

Anxiety is an affective response commonly experienced by persons after emot ional and physical trauma, as well as associated with aversive medical trea tments. The scientific information related to the conceptualization, assess ment, and treatment of anxiety is limited. in order to develop a pilot prot ocol for anxiety management, nursing directors at 64 burn centers were surv eyed. At 89% of the centers, anxiety measures were not used. Most of the te ams assess informally through observation of patient (n = 21), dialogue wit h patient (n = 12), or both observation and dialogue with patient (n = 15). Assessors of anxiety range in breadth from nurse only to the entire burn t eam, including pastoral care representatives and family. The class of medic ation most frequently endorsed in treating anxiety is the benzodiazipine, m ost often lorazepam (Ativan). A number of non-pharmacologic techniques are used to manage anxiety, e.g., muscle relaxation, breathing, imagery. Consid eration should be given to assessing anxiety systematically, so knowledge c an be gleaned and applied to conceptualization of symptom presentation and application of treatment resources. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.