Procedural Anxiety

This prospective, randomized controlled trial aims to determine the effects of stress ball use and empathic verbal communication with therapeutic touch on anxiety and pain perception in women undergoing mammography and breast ultrasonography. The study will be conducted between May and September 2026 at Istanbul Bakırköy Dr. Sadi Konuk Training and Research Hospital. A total of 122 women meeting the inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned into three groups: stress ball group (n=41), empathic verbal communication with touch group (n=41), and control group (n=40). Women in the stress ball group will be instructed to use a soft stress ball before and during the procedure. Participants in the empathic verbal-tactile group will receive structured verbal empathy combined with therapeutic touch. The control group will receive routine care without additional intervention. Data will be collected before and after the procedures using a Descriptive Characteristics Form, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and a Numerical Rating Scale for pain assessment. The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence on the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions in reducing anxiety and pain during breast imaging procedures.

This study is looking at whether listening to music during a nail biopsy can reduce pain and anxiety. Patients scheduled for a nail biopsy at the Weill Cornell Medicine dermatology clinic will be randomly assigned to either listen to a calming instrumental/classical music playlist during their procedure or receive standard care without music. After the procedure, participants will complete short questionnaires rating their pain, anxiety, and overall satisfaction. The goal is to determine whether a simple, low-cost music intervention can improve the experience of patients undergoing nail biopsies.

The goal of this randomized trial is to investigate if using virtual reality (VR) glasses for patients who require non-emergent oral surgery procedures under intravenous (IV) sedation improves their overall experience compared to using standard of care safety glasses. This study has two primary objectives. 1. To evaluate if VR glasses can improve patient tolerance during IV access, sedation induction, and the surgical procedure. 2. To investigate whether the use of VR glasses reduces the amount of sedation required for induction and throughout the oral surgery procedure. 80 subjects will be randomly assigned 1:1 to either wear VR glasses playing a relaxing video and audio or VR glasses that will only serve as eye protection (control group).

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a video-based educational intervention in reducing anxiety among hospitalised patients scheduled for elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Participants will be assigned to either a video intervention group or a control group without randomisation. The intervention group will receive a structured educational video related to the PCI procedure, while the control group will receive usual care. Anxiety levels will be measured using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory at baseline and after the intervention to determine whether the video intervention reduces anxiety before the procedure.

The purpose of this study is to determine if non-invasive distracting devices (Virtual Reality headset, Augmented Reality Headset) are more effective than the standard of care (i.e., no technology-based distraction) for decreasing anxiety and pain scores in pediatric patients undergoing various minor procedures (i.e lumbar punctures and cardiac catheterization). The anticipated primary outcome will be a reduction of overall cumulative medication and secondary outcomes include but are not limited to: physician satisfaction, discharge time, pain scores, anxiety scores, and procedure time.

The goal of this clinical trial is to to utilize Virtual Reality during their interventional radiology procedure to help reduce any pain and anxiety experienced during the procedure in patients above the age of 8 undergoing interventional radiology procedures. The main questions it aims to answer are: * To determine if Virtual Reality is more effective than standard care for reducing pain and anxiety in children undergoing painful interventional radiology procedures. It is hypothesized that children in the Virtual Reality condition will experience reduced pain and anxiety compared to children receiving standard of care. * To evaluate caregiver's assessment of patient distress and their satisfaction with Virtual Reality compared to standard of care. It is hypothesized that caregiver satisfaction with the medical procedure will be significantly greater in the Virtual Reality group compared to the standard of care group. It is hypothesized that caregivers will perceive lower pain/anxiety when their child receives Virtual Reality compared to standard of care. Participants will complete pre and post surveys before and after interventional radiology procedures. Participants will use Virtual Reality headsets while undergoing procedure.

This study is being done to see if nitrous oxide during vasectomy decreases pain and anxiety, and also assess whether patients have better satisfaction when they control their own level of nitrous oxide during the procedure. If we find that patients experience less pain or anxiety with nitrous oxide, it could be suggested that self-adjusted nitrous oxide (SANO) may be a useful tool for improving experience of care during vasectomy.

This research will be conducted in a pre-test-post-test parallel group randomized controlled experimental study model to determine the effects of rain stick and musical egg applied during blood collection on pain, fear and anxiety in children aged 4-6. Research Hypotheses H1: The mean pain scores of the children in the rain stick group are lower than the mean scores of the children in the control group. H2: The mean fear scores of the children in the rain stick group are lower than the mean scores of the children in the control group. H3: The mean anxiety scores of the children in the rain stick group are lower than the mean scores of the children in the control group. H4: The mean pain scores of the children in the musical egg group are lower than the mean scores of the children in the control group. H5: The mean fear scores of the children in the musical egg group are lower than the mean scores of the children in the control group. H6: The mean anxiety scores of the children in the musical egg group are lower than the mean scores of the children in the control group.

This research will be conducted as a pre-test-post-test parallel group randomized controlled experimental study to determine the effects of two different types of hourglasses (liquid gel-based hourglass and sand-based hourglass) used for distraction during blood collection in children aged 5-10 years on pain, fear, and anxiety and the comparative effectiveness of these methods. Research Hypotheses H1: The mean pain, fear, and anxiety scores of children who used a liquid gel-based hourglass during blood collection were significantly lower than the mean scores of children in the control group. H2: The mean pain, fear, and anxiety scores of children who used a sand-based hourglass during blood collection were significantly lower than the mean scores of children in the control group. H3: The use of a liquid gel-based hourglass and a sand-based hourglass during blood collection had different effects on the mean pain, fear, and anxiety scores of children.

Ultrasound-guided oocyte retrieval (OR) is a short, but oftentimes painful procedure, during which the follicles are punctured trans-vaginally to obtain oocytes for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Conscious sedation is the most commonly used method of pain relief, yet several studies have shown that more than half of women report moderate to high levels of pain and up to 7% of women report extreme or unacceptable levels of pain during OR. Adjuvant virtual reality (VR) therapy has been explored to reduce psychological stress during dental procedures, burn wound care, colonoscopy, as well as other minor procedures. Hence, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of VR technology during IVF treatment, particularly with respect to tolerability, patient satisfaction, and pain reduction during oocyte retrieval.

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if active virtual reality is more effective than passive virtual reality and standard of care distraction in decreasing pain in children, from 8 to 21 years old, undergoing intravenous placement in emergency department. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer \[is/are\]: * Will active virtual reality reduce pain score on Faces Pain Scale - revised and measure of heart rate during intravenous placement for children ages 8 years old to 21 years old more than passive virtual reality and standard of care? * Will active virtual reality reduce anxiety score on Visual Analog Scale - revised and measure of heart rate during intravenous placement for children ages 8 years old to 21 years old more than passive virtual reality and standard of care? If there is a comparison group: Researchers will compare active group to passive group and standard of care. Participants will randomized into active virtual reality, passive virtual reality or standard of care arms.