A study to assess the level of pain and procedural anxiety among intravenous cannulation patients admitted in emergency department of sree mookambika medical college hospital

Abstract

Vein puncture is one of the most commonly experienced procedures among hospitalized patients. Most hospitalized patients require a peripheral intravenous cannula to administer drugs, fluids, and parental nutrition. Pain and anxiety are major complaints among patients during procedures. The main aim of the study was to assess the levels of pain and procedural anxiety during intravenous cannulation among patients. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the association between pain level and procedural anxiety, and explore selected demographic variables like age, sex, education, occupation, and previous experience of intravenous cannulation. The study had a non-experimental descriptive research design with a quantitative research approach. It was conducted at the Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Science in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. Thirty samples were selected using the convenience sampling technique. The tools used for data collection were demographic variables, clinical variables, a visual analog scale, and a procedural anxiety scale. The data were analyzed and interpreted using objective, descriptive, and inferential statistics. The study findings showed that 33.33% of the samples had mild pain, 60% had moderate pain, and 6.66% had severe pain. In terms of anxiety levels, 63.33% of patients had a mild level of anxiety, 30% had a moderate level of anxiety, and 6.66% of patients had a severe level of anxiety. There was no significant association between anxiety and selected demographic or clinical variables. However, a significant association was found between the level of pain and demographic variables such as gender.