Anxiety Communication Notes—A Tool to Facilitate Anxiety Management and Improve the Nurse–Patient Relationship in Mental Health Nursing

Mental health care tends to be dominated by a biomedical perspective at the expense of a more recovery-oriented approach. Research on nursing interventions intended to strengthen the patient's ability to manage anxiety is sparse in this context. The aim of this study was to describe nurses' experiences of the use of anxiety communication notes in nursing patients experiencing anxiety in inpatient mental health care. Data were collected by interviewing twelve nurses working in two inpatient mental health care wards in southwestern Sweden. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Findings showed that the use of anxiety communication notes was perceived to enable a structured collaboration with the patient that facilitated understanding of the patient’s anxiety pattern and supported nurse-patient communication. The nurses could also use the tool to support patients in increased participation and empowerment in their anxiety management. © 2023 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.