Table 4.
Effect of interventions to reduce scanxiety
| First author | Year | Intervention | Measurement of scanxiety | Impact of intervention on scanxiety | |||
| Name of tool | Range of tool (anxiety threshold) | Timing of assessment | Description of results | P value | |||
| Mainiero62 | 2001 | Arm A: an educational video about breast cancer and mammography Arm B: an entertaining movie (from the 1940s to 1960s) |
6-point Likert score | 0–5 (NA) | Prescan: immediate Postscan: immediate |
No difference | NR |
| Domar63 | 2005 | Arm A: relaxation audiotape or Arm B: music audiotape or Arm C: control (blank audiotape) |
STAI: state anxiety subscale | NR (NA) | Prescan: immediate | No difference Arm A versus arm B versus arm C: 34.8 versus 33.6 versus 33.2 |
0.18 |
| Postscan: immediate | No difference Arm A versus arm B versus arm C: 30.4 versus 30.9 versus 33.2 |
0.78 | |||||
| STAI: trait anxiety subscale | NR (NA) | Prescan: immediate | No difference Arm A versus arm B versu arm C: 32.6 versus 32.7 versus 32.5 |
0.99 | |||
| 11-point Likert scale | 1–10 (NA) | Postscan | No difference Arm A versus arm B versus arm C: 2.6 versus 3.2 versus 2.8 |
0.43 | |||
| Postscan: immediate | NR | NR | |||||
| Fernández-Feito64 | 2005 | Arm A: a protocolised nursing intervention (information and emotional support) and usual care or arm B: usual care alone | STAI: state anxiety subscale | 0–60 (NA) | Prescan: immediate (postintervention) | Less severe | <0.001 |
| Less severe if fear of cancer present | 0.002 | ||||||
| Less severe if no fear of cancer present | 0.003 | ||||||
| No difference if fear of cancer outcome present | 0.09 | ||||||
| Less severe if no fear of scan outcome | <0.001 | ||||||
| STAI: trait anxiety subscale | 0–60 (NA) | Prescan: immediate (postintervention) | No difference | 0.34 | |||
| Caruso65 | 2006 | Arm A: routine information and 45 min of informative-emotive psychological support with a psychologist or arm B: routine information | Crown Crisp Experimental Index | NR (0–96) | Prescan: immediate (postintervention) | Less severe Arm A versus arm B: 39.4 versus 42.3 |
0.03 |
| STAI: state anxiety subscale | NR (NA) | Prescan: immediate (postintervention) | No difference Arm A versus arm B: 57.7 versus 58.6 |
0.77 | |||
| Postscan: immediate | Less severe | 0.048 | |||||
| STAI: trait anxiety subscale | NR (NA) | Prescan: immediate (postintervention) | NR | NR | |||
| Vogel66 | 2012 | Arm A: uptake room with an audio-visual installation involving a video of nature scenes on a 119 cm television, dynamic lighting and ambient electronic music Arm B: uptake room without the audio-visual installation |
8-item STAI | 18–32 (≥16) | Prescan: immediately before and immediately after fluorodeoxyglucose uptake period | Less severe Arm A versus arm B: reduction by 2.39 versus 1.02 |
0.04 |
| Acuff67 | 2014 | Arm A: receive a handheld device to contact imaging staff during the scan Arm B: no device |
STAI: state anxiety subscale | 20–80 (NA) | During scan: immediately before completion of the scan | Less severe Arm A versus arm B: 22.87 versus 26.45 |
0.014 |
| Less severe if previous PET/CT Arm A versus arm B: 20.78 versus 24.64 |
0.023 | ||||||
| No difference if first time PET/CT Arm A versus arm B: 23.09 versus 27.25, p=0.249 |
0.249 | ||||||
| Raz68 | 2014 | Arm A: multimedia education session and usual care or arm B: usual care |
STAI: state anxiety subscale | 20–80 (≥40) | Prescan: within 2 weeks Postscan: immediate, at 1 week and 3–7 months postscan |
No difference at any time point | NR |
| STAI: Trait Anxiety subscale | 20–80 (≥40) | No difference at any time point | NR | ||||
| PCQ: lung cancer adaptation, anxiety subscale | 0–18 (NR) | No difference at any time point | 0.11 to 0.76 | ||||
| Zavotsky69 | 2014 | Arm A: music of their choice played via dock during the scan Arm B: no music |
11-point Likert scale | 0–10 (NA) | Postscan: immediate | No difference Arm A versus arm B: 2.36 versus 2.98 |
0.21 |
| Ashton70 | 2019 | All participants: 10 min shoulder and neck massage and/or hand massage before, during or after imaging, or between two imaging tests | 11-pointLikert scale | 0–10 (NA) | Postintervention (prescan or postscan) | 81% had a reduction in anxiety following massage* | <0.01 |
| Lorca71 | 2019 | Arm A: mindfulness meditation Arm B: routine care |
STAI: State Anxiety subscale | NR (NA) | Postscan: immediate | Less severe Arm A versus arm B: 10.47 versus 29.07 |
0.000 |
| STAI: Trait Anxiety subscale | NR (NA) | No difference | NS | ||||
| 11-item Likert scale | 0–10 (NA) | Less severe Arm A versus arm B, 1.07 versus 5.70 |
0.000 | ||||
*Mean scores for overall study population not provided.
NA, not applicable; NR, not reported; PCQ, Psychological Consequences Questionnaire; STAI, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.