About this trial

15 minutes before the procedure, nurses (FEÖ and NT) will explain and demonstrate how to use the stress ball. The stress ball will be applied for approximately five minutes, including the chest tube removal procedure. A round, medium-hard, high-quality silicone ball, approximately 6 cm in diameter, will be used. Patients will be asked to hold the ball in their palms, count to three, squeeze, and release once. Patients will be instructed to continue this exercise until the chest tube removal procedure is completed, and then, under the supervision of the researcher, for approximately five minutes, focusing their attention on the stress ball. The ball will be washed and cleaned after each use and wiped with disposable asepsis wipes before being administered to the patient. The control group will not receive any other treatment beyond routine treatment and will be assessed at the same time as the study group.

The chest tube will be removed by a physician during the stress ball application. Procedural pain level, anxiety level and hemodynamic variables of all patients in the study and control groups will be re-evaluated immediately after chest tube removal and 15 and 30 minutes after chest tube removal.

Eligibility criteria

This trial does not accept healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

are 18 years of age or older,

are conscious and cooperative,

speak and understand Turkish,

have a stable general condition and hemodynamic variables,

Disqualifiers

Are under 18 years of age,

Are conscious and uncooperative,

Do not speak or understand Turkish,

Are in an unstable general condition or hemodynamic variables,

Trial design

Design model

Parallel

Treatments tested in this trial

Stress ball
Other intervention
Recently, the use of non-pharmacological methods applied by nurses has become increasingly widespread. One independent nursing practice for reducing pain and anxiety is the stress ball. A stress ball, one of these non-pharmacological methods, utilizes the sense of touch to divert attention and cognitive focus. This simple, reliable, and low-cost method reduces pain and anxiety by directing the mind to a salient stimulus.

Treatment groups

46 Participants

are divided into 2 treatment groups

Group A: controlNo intervention 0 interventions

Group B: Stress ball groupExperimental treatment 1 intervention

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Participants' pain levels with stress ball application

Visual Analog Scale (VAS): Developed by Freyd (1923), the VAS is a single, 10-cm-long scale that can be used vertically or horizontally to assess pain levels. A generally accepted, reliable, and easily applicable scale, the VAS consists of a 10-cm-long line with subjective descriptive statements at either end of the scale (0 cm = none at all and 10 cm = maximum presence). The individual places a mark on this 10-cm line at the appropriate location on the scale. The distance from the beginning of the scale to the mark is measured with a ruler, and the individual's pain level is numerically determined in cm.

Time frame