The effectiveness of early position change postcardiac catheterization on patient's outcomes: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Nurses play a substantial role in maintaining patient homeostasis postcardiac catheterization. Patients frequently complain of back pain and discomfort as a result of the prolonged bed rest postcatheterization. AIM This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of early position change postcardiac catheterization on reducing patients' pain and discomfort. SETTINGS The study was conducted at two cardiac units in a university hospital in Jordan. PARTICIPANTS A total of 120 patients were used in the study, 60 patients in each of the two groups-control and intervention. METHODS The randomized controlled trial design was used. Data were initially collected 1 hour after sheath removal postcardiac catheterization. After that, the protocol was applied to the interventional group. RESULTS Early position change 1 hour after sheath removal after cardiac catheterization was found to be effective in reducing back pain as compared with the control group (P < .001). Also, the study intervention was found to be effective in reducing urinary discomfort (X2  = 50.83, P < .001), and increasing comfort level (X2  = 120, P < .001). However, although participants in the intervention group were less likely to have constipation and hematoma than those in the control group, this outcome was not statistically significant at P > .05. CONCLUSION Early position change 1 hour after sheath removal postcardiac catheterization has significant positive effects on patient outcomes by reducing the intensity of back pain and urination problems and increasing patients' comfort level without increasing incidents of vascular complications such as bleeding and hematoma.