Psychological interventions for pain and anxiety management during bone marrow aspiration and biopsy

Abstract

Cancer is the second cause of death in the world and the fourth in Mexico, among its types are onco-hematological diseases. Having cancer will have several repercussions on people suffering from it, including having to undergo very painful medical-invasive procedures, such as aspiration and bone marrow biopsy, a gold standard for the diagnosis of these pathologies. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy anxiety is common, which increases pain and makes it a traumatic experience. Pharmacological strategies have not been entirely effective when it comes to pain management, so other solutions such as psychological interventions have been sought (psychoeducation, mindfulness and distraction techniques such as music therapy, self-directions, breathing techniques and relaxation use of virtual reality and mobile applications). Psychological interventions have been shown to be effective in managing pain and anxiety, however, for patients to have access to them, it is necessary to include the psychologist as part of the multidisciplinary team during the performance of these procedures.