The Effect of Video Information Before Insertion of an Implantable Port Catheter on Cancer Patients’ Fear of Pain and Pain Levels

Abstract

Background Implantable port catheters and their needles may cause cancer patients to experience fear of pain. Objective The aim of this article was to study the effect of video information provided before implantable port catheter insertion on the fear of pain and on postoperative pain level. Methods The study is a randomized controlled trial conducted between July and December 2022 at a university hospital with a total of 84 cancer patients: intervention group (42) and control group (42). Descriptive analyses, χ2 analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Student’s t test were used to assess the data. Results In the preoperative period, the mean score of the fear of severe pain subdimension of the patients in the control group was found to be higher than that of the patients in the intervention group (P < .05). When the postoperative pain levels of the patients were evaluated, no difference between the visual analog scale scores of the experimental and control groups was found (P > .05). Conclusion Video information provided before the insertion of an implantable port catheter was found to reduce the fear of severe pain in cancer patients, but postoperative pain levels were not affected. Implications for Practice The use of audiovisual materials such as videos for multimedia-based information is effective in making remembering the information easy. Video-based information may be more useful in managing fear of pain in patients than traditional verbal information. The findings of this study can serve as a guide for clinical work and for developing targeted measures to reduce fear of pain.