Background & Aims: Anxiety, as one of the prevalent symptoms in patients with heart failure (HF), has significantly affected HF prognosis. This research was carried out with the aim of comparing the effect of applying the techniques of Benson muscle relaxation and nature sounds on anxiety in the patients with HF. Materials & Methods: As a randomized clinical trial with a control group,this study used convenience sampling to recruit 105 patients with HF who were admitted to the cardiac intensive care unit at the teaching hospitals of Mazandaran University of Medical Science in 2016.Through randomized block design,the patients were allocated to the three groups of Benson muscle relaxation,nature sounds,and control group.Besides the routine care, the patients in each of the two groups of Benson muscle relaxation and nature sounds received intervention twice a day(morning and evening)for 20 minutes for three consecuative days.The data were collected immediately before and after the intervention, using Spielberger state anxiety inventory questionnaire.Data analysis was performed by using paired t-test, Chi-square and one way analysis of variance via SPSS v.22. Results: As the results indicated, no significant difference was observed between the groups regarding to the mean score of anxiety before interventions in the morning and evening in each day. There were no significant differences between the groups regarding to the intensity of anxiety after interventions in the morning and evening in each day. Also, there was no significant difference before and after Benson muscle relaxation regarding to the anxiety intensity in each day. ‎There was no significant difference before and after nature sound intervention in terms of the anxiety intensity in each day. Conclusion: Given the ineffectiveness of interventions on anxiety in patients with HF and the applicability, inexpensiveness, and availability of these supplementary methods, it is suggested to examine the effect of other methods on these patients to discover the techniques that are beneficial for clinical outcomes and symptoms.

Keywords: anxiety, heart failure, nature sounds, relaxation

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