Effects of virtual reality and acupressure interventions on pain, anxiety, vital signs and comfort in catheter extraction processes for patients undergoing coronary angiography: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Pain and anxiety management in patients undergoing medical and surgical procedures is an important competence area for nurses. AIM: This study aimed to determine and compare the effects of virtual reality and acupressure interventions on pain, anxiety, vital signs and comfort levels in the process of femoral catheter extraction for patients undergoing coronary angiography. METHODS: The study was a single-blind, three-group, randomized controlled trial conducted in the cardiology clinics of a university hospital in 2021. A total of 153 patients (51 virtual reality, 51 acupressure, 51 control) participated in the study. Data were collected using a Visual Analogue Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, a vital signs follow-up form and the Perianesthesia Comfort Scale. RESULTS: Both intervention groups had significantly lower pain and anxiety scores, as well as higher comfort scores, compared to the control group (p < 0.001). The virtual reality group had lower systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate and pulse rate than the control group (p < 0.05). The acupressure group had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure and respiratory rate than the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: While neither intervention group was found to be superior to the other, both interventions improved vital signs and comfort levels by reducing pain and anxiety.

The effect of reiki on anxiety, fear, pain, and oxygen saturation in abdominal surgery patients: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Reiki on anxiety, fear, pain levels, and oxygen saturation in open abdominal surgery patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A three-arm, parallel, randomized, and controlled trial design was used in this study. 93 participants were enrolled and randomly divided into three groups (n = 31): reiki, sham reiki, and control groups. All patients in the experimental group, before and after Reiki or Sham Reiki treatments, and all patients in the control groups without any intervention were evaluated with the State Anxiety Inventory STAI-I, with the Surgical Fear Questionnaire for fear of surgery and pain. VAS Scale. Descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, and Wilcoxon were used in the analysis of the research data. RESULTS: Surgical fear, anxiety, and pain levels decreased, and oxygen saturation levels increased in the Reiki group. The differences between the groups were statistically significant (p<0.005). DISCUSSION: Since Reiki is inexpensive, safe, effective, and easy to apply, it should be administered by nurses to patients who are scheduled for open abdominal surgery.

Effects of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Mastectomy Pain, Patient Satisfaction, and Patient Outcomes.

PURPOSE: Mastectomy is one of the most painful surgical procedures. Postoperative pain guidelines recommend transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) as a reliable non-pharmacological analgesic method. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of TENS on postoperative pain and outcomes in patients undergoing modified radical mastectomy (MRM). DESIGN: A single-center, single-blind, prospective, randomized-controlled study. METHODS: This single-center, single-blind, randomized-controlled study included a total of 80 patients who underwent MRM at general surgery clinic of a tertiary center were included. The pain management of the patient outcomes were evaluated using the Turkish Revised American Pain Society Patient Outcome Questionnaire (APS-POQ-R-TR). FINDINGS: The pain levels of the intervention group were lower than the control group. There were significant improvements in the patient outcomes such as mobilization, position, sleep, anxiety, and fear in the intervention group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study results suggest that TENS reduces MRM pain. Thus, TENS can be recommended as a useful analgesic method in MRM.

Effect of Lavender Oil on the Anxiety of Patients Before Breast Surgery.

PURPOSE: Anxiety is a common problem before surgery. This study aimed to investigate the effects of inhaling lavender oil on anxiety levels in patients before breast surgery. DESIGN: A randomized controlled design was used. METHODS: The study was conducted in surgery clinics of a university hospital in Adana, Turkey. The study included a total of 80 patients, 40 patients in the intervention group, and 40 patients in the control group, who were scheduled for breast surgery. Lavender oil was used by inhalation. A Personal Information Form and the State Anxiety Inventory were used to collect data. FINDINGS: The mean State Anxiety Inventory pretest and post-test scores were 43.00 ± 11.48 and 37.28 ± 9.93, respectively, in the intervention group, indicating a statistically significant difference (P < .05). The mean pretest and post-test State Anxiety Inventory scores were 44.6 ± 11.45 and 42.43 ± 11.48, respectively, in the control group; however, the difference was not statistically significant (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Inhalation of lavender oil before breast surgery decreased anxiety levels of patients. Our study results suggest that the inhalation of lavender oil offered by nurses has positive effects in reducing anxiety levels.

A review of postoperative pain assessment records of nurses.

Background: Although there are many recommendations and guidelines for adequate pain assessment, the quality of postoperative pain documentation does not meet the acceptable standards. Aim: The aim of the study is to review the pain assessment and analgesic records of nurses within the first 48 h in the postoperative period. Methods: This retrospective and descriptive study was conducted in a University Hospital. The records of a total of 421 patients who underwent surgery between January 2014 and January 2015 were analysed. The data of the patients were obtained using the patient files. Results: Pain assessment scale was not used, and the pain records did not include intensity, location, duration and quality of the pain. The analgesic records indicated that the highest percentage (70.8%) of analgesic use was within the first postoperative two hours. Diclofenac sodium was the most commonly administered and recorded analgesic, while pethidine HCl was the least used one. More than half of the all analgesic injections (63.9%) were administered by intramuscular route. No non-pharmacological intervention including massage, hot­cold application, or positioning was reported in the nursing records. Conclusion: The postoperative pain was not assessed properly as recommended in the acute pain guidelines. Therefore, nurses should increase the awareness on the pain assessment records for effective pain management. In addition, the administration of the hospital should support the use of standard pain assessment and recording via electronic patient record system, continue online education courses and give feedback on the records of nurses regarding pain management.

Effects of progressive relaxation exercises on anxiety and comfort of Turkish breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the world and by far the most frequent cancer among women. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to observe the effect of progressive relaxation exercises on anxiety and comfort level of breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A control group pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental model was applied with experimental (30) and control (30) groups, who agreed to participate in this study. Data collection was with the "Personnel Information Form, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and General Comfort Scale". RESULTS: The average age of the patients that participated in the study was 49.1±7.96 years. Eighty-three point three percent (n=25) of the patients in the experiment group and 86.7 (n=26) percent of patients in control group were married. Patient state of anxiety post-test mean scores were 36.2±8.21 in the experimental group and 43.4±7.96 in the control group, the difference being statistically significant (p<0.05). The general comfort scale post-test mean scores were 149.5±13.9 in the experimental group and 137.7±15.0 in the control group, again statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Progressive relaxation exercises positively affect patient comfort and anxiety levels in Turkey.

Effect of music on postoperative pain and physiologic parameters of patients after open heart surgery.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of listening to personal choice of music on self-report of pain intensity and the physiologic parameters in patients who have undergone open heart surgery. The study design was quasiexperimental. Patients were selected through convenience sampling in the Cardiovascular Surgery Intensive Care Unit at a university hospital. The study was conducted with a total of 87 patients who underwent open heart surgery: 44 in the music group, 43 in the control group, ages between 18 and 78 years. Through pretest-posttest design, postoperative first-day data were collected. First, physiologic parameters (blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and respiratory rate) were recorded and a unidimensional verbal pain intensity scale applied to all participants. Later, the control group had a rest in their beds while the music group listened to their choice of music for 30 minutes. Physiologic data were then collected and the pain intensity scale applied once more. In the music group, there was a statistically significant increase in oxygen saturation (p = .001) and a lower pain score (p = .001) than in the control group. There was no difference between the groups in the other physiologic parameters. Results of this research provide evidence to support the use of music. Music might be a simple, safe, and effective method of reducing potentially harmful physiologic responses arising from pain in patients after open heart surgery.

Effect of aromatherapy massage on dysmenorrhea in Turkish students.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aromatherapy massage on dysmenorrhea. The study used a quasiexperimental design with the subjects as their own control. Every participant applied both aromatherapy massage with lavender oil and placebo massage with odorless liquid petrolatum [soft paraffin]. The population comprised 438 midwifery and nursing students. The 150 students who had declared that they had suffered from dysmenorrhea used a visual analog scale to indicate their level of pain. Higher scores reflected a greater severity of dysmenorrhea. Forty-four students volunteered to participate in the study. When the lavender massage and the placebo massage were compared, the visual analog scale score of the lavender massage was found to decrease at a statistically significant rate. This study showed that massage was effective in reducing dysmenorrhea. In addition, this study showed that the effect of aromatherapy massage on pain was higher than that of placebo massage.