The Impact of Guided Imagery on Pain and Anxiety in Hospitalized Adults

Abstract

BackgroundThe use and impact of guided imagery in the acute care setting is limited. AimsThe purpose of this quality improvement project was to evaluate the feasibility of a guided imagery intervention to change pain scores, anxiety scores, and opioid analgesia usage among hospitalized adults in an acute care setting. DesignQuality improvement project using three measurements (baseline, 24 hours, and 48 hours). SettingsAcute care hospital. Participants/SubjectsAdult inpatients referred to an APRN-led pain management service. MethodsThe intervention was the use of a 30-minute guided imagery recording delivered via MP3 player which patients used twice daily. ResultsLimited changes were seen in pain scores, with no statistically significant results (p = .449). Statistically significant reductions were found in both anxiety scores (p < .001) and opioid analgesia usage (p = .043). ConclusionsFindings from this quality improvement project support the impact of guided imagery on anxiety and opioid analgesia use. Changes in pain scores were not demonstrated in this project. Additional research with a rigorous design is needed to determine cause and effect conclusions. Clinical ImplicationsThe use of guided imagery as an adjunctive intervention for pain control may engage and empower the patient in self-care activities, which may have an impact on how care is perceived. Guided imagery is a low-cost, easily implemented approach that can be incorporated into patient care to reduce anxiety and, potentially, opioid analgesia use.