The impact of two methods on pain and anxiety during short peripheral cannula placement: A randomized controlled trial

Aim and objectives: This study aimed to determine the impact of virtual reality glasses and ball squeezing methods on reducing pain and anxiety in adult patients undergoing short peripheral cannula placement. Methods: The pretest-posttest parallel group randomized controlled experimental study was conducted in a university hospital with 111 patients. Patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the VR group (n = 37), the ball squeezing group (n = 37), and the control group (n = 37). Descriptive information form, Numeric Rating Scale, Visual Analogue Scale for Anxiety, and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State were used for data collection. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of sociodemographic characteristics (p > 0.05). The pain score of the patients in the control group was found to be statistically significantly higher than that of the patients in the virtual reality glasses and ball squeezing groups (p < 0.05). While the mean anxiety scores of the virtual reality glasses and ball squeezing groups significantly decreased after the intervention, they increased significantly in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The study found that virtual reality glasses and ball squeezing were effective distraction methods to reduce pain and anxiety in patients undergoing short peripheral cannula placement.