Investigating effects of sound frequencies on pain, comfort and anxiety levels in venous-arterial blood sampling, intramuscular injection, and venous intra-vascular access process

Determining the effects of sound frequencies on pain, comfort, anxiety level and hemodynamic changes in the processes of venous-arterial blood sampling, intramuscular injection and intravenous access.

This clinical trial study was conducted on 300 patients with control and intervention (parallel) groups in a randomized and double-blind manner and in phase 3. The software was used for randomization.

Patients referred to Imam Reza and Imam Khomeini Hospital in Kermanshah who needed blood sampling and intramuscular injection. Patients were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Only in the intervention groups, sound frequency stimulation is performed by headphones on the ear for patients at the same time as the needle tip is inserted. In order to conduct a double-blind study, the patients and the colleague recording the results were not aware of the grouping and type of intervention.

Patients requiring blood sampling and intramuscular injection who experience acute pain.

In a control group; during each of the procedures, the patients do not receive any stimulus or pain relief, and the procedure is performed according to the routine of the department and the noise level of the environment. In another control group; during each of the procedures, passive wireless headphones are placed on both ears of the patients so that the intensity of the ambient sound is less than 5 dB, and the patients in this group do not receive any sound stimuli. In intervention groups, sound stimulation with frequencies of 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 ,100Hz: wireless headphones are placed on both ears one minute before each procedure. Sound stimulation with different frequencies is performed from one minute before the procedure until its completion.

pain; stress; comfort

The randomization of the samples in this study is done by computer software. By the software, a random sequence of letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, G is assigned to the intervention and control groups. . In the output of the software, blocks are created with a sequence of 8 and 10 random letters (each letter is considered for a group). Then these obtained blocks are placed in sealed envelopes. Before starting the study, one of the researchers opens one of the envelopes and finally, according to the sequence of letters, the patient is placed in one of the intervention or control groups.

In control group 1; Headphones are placed on the patient's ear. But the headphones have no function, and the patient is able to hear the surrounding sounds naturally through the holes made on the ear part of the headphones. In control group 2; Healthy headphones but without sound function are placed on the patient's ear so that he cannot hear the surrounding sounds. In the intervention groups; Healthy headphones with sound function with a specific frequency are used. Due to the identical appearance of the interventions and the patient's lack of information about the grouping and type of stimulation intervention frequency, the patients were blinded to the intervention. Blood sampling and intramuscular injections are done by the co-colleague. Audio frequency was applied through headphones and audio frequency settings were done through Bluetooth headphones. The other colleague who registers the variables does not know how to group and the type of frequency received by the patients.