The effect of patient education provided before port catheter infusion on infusion-related symptoms

This study was conducted as a randomized controlled experimental research with a pre-test–post-test design to determine the effect of pre-infusion education on symptoms associated with port catheter infusion. The research took place at Karadeniz Technical University Farabi Hospital Oncology Service and Chemotherapy Unit between March 2024 and June 2025, involving patients who met the inclusion criteria and agreed to participate. Institutional and ethics committee approvals were obtained prior to the study. A total of 64 patients were randomly assigned to intervention (n=32) and control (n=32) groups using block randomization. Data were collected through the "Patient Information Form," "State-Trait Anxiety Inventory," and "Symptom Checklist." Patients in the intervention group viewed a single 3.55-minute interactive animation video explaining the procedure and including deep breathing exercises before infusion. In both groups, the "State Anxiety Inventory" and "Symptom Checklist" were completed before and after infusion, while the "Trait Anxiety Inventory" was completed only before infusion. The control group received routine pre-infusion information. Data analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows 25.0 and DataBeeg 1.0. Since the data were normally distributed, Student's t-test and paired t-test were applied. Findings revealed a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in post-procedure anxiety scores and diastolic blood pressure (p=0.011, p=0.042), while no statistically significant differences were found in other symptoms. The study concluded that providing patients with an interactive video explaining the procedure and incorporating deep breathing exercises significantly reduces anxiety and diastolic blood pressure prior to initial port catheter infusion. Therefore, the use of interactive video tools is recommended for managing symptoms associated with port catheter infusion