Application of Positional Nursing Combined with Positive Suggestion in Patients Undergoing Sedated Gastroscopy

To investigate the effects of positional nursing combined with positive suggestions on anxiety, procedural outcomes, and patient comfort in patients undergoing painless gastroscopy.

This retrospective cohort study enrolled 153 patients undergoing sedated gastroscopy between March 2024 and August 2025. Patients were assigned to the conventional nursing group (n=73, March-October 2024) or the comprehensive nursing group (n=80, November 2024-August 2025). The comprehensive group received individualized positioning optimization and standardized positive psychological suggestions. Primary outcomes included State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State subscale (STAI-S), examination success rate, examination duration, and General Comfort Questionnaire (GCQ). Secondary outcomes included hemodynamic stability, adverse events, recovery time, and patient satisfaction.

Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. The comprehensive nursing group demonstrated significantly lower STAI-S scores (43.23±7.68 vs 48.67±8.45, P <0.001) and shorter examination duration (6.54±1.62 min vs 7.23±1.87 min, P =0.016). GCQ scores were significantly higher in the comprehensive group (P <0.001). The comprehensive group maintained better intra-procedural hemodynamic stability with lower heart rates (P =0.002), higher oxygen saturation (P <0.001), and higher blood pressure levels (systolic BP: P =0.020; diastolic BP: P =0.008). Comprehensive group had lower overall adverse event incidence, shorter recovery time and higher modified Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire scores (modified PSQ-18) (all P <0.05).

Positional nursing combined with positive suggestion may help reduce pre-procedural anxiety, improve hemodynamic stability, decrease adverse events, and enhance patient comfort and satisfaction in painless gastroscopy. This non-pharmacological intervention shows promise for integration into routine endoscopy nursing protocols.