The effect of different images watched wiht virtual reality on perception of pain and anxiety during flebotomy

OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out with the aim of investigating effect of different images, which are monitored through virtual reality in volunteer blood donors on pain and anxiety associated with phlebotomy. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The study was contucted in randomly controlled, single-blind, experimental design between June 2019 and December 2019 in units affiliated to the Turkish Red Crescent Zonguldak Blood Center Directorate. The research was conducted between June 2019 and December 2019 in units affiliated with the Türk Kızılayı Zonguldak Blood Center Directorate. The sample of the study consists of 120 healthy individuals, each divided into groups of 40 members and with research limitations. The data were collected "Introductory Features Form", "Visual Analog Scale" and "State and Trait Anxiety Inventory" were used. The individuals included in the study were assigned to the intervention, placebo and control groups by block randomization method. During the phlebotomy procedure, while intervention group were viewing cold environment image, placebo group were viewed hot environment image by virtual reality but control group was made standard application. FINDINGS: The mean pain score of the individuals in the intervention group was 0.85±0.44, in the placebo group was 2.35±0.55, in the control group was 5.20±0.74, the anxiety point average of the individuals was 28.42 ±7.24 in the intervention group, 29.22±5.93 in the placebo group, 40.22±11.98 in the control group, in the after phlebotomy procedure. As a result of the statistical analysis, it was found that the pain and anxiety mean scores of the intervention group were significantly lower than the placebo and control groups (p <0.05). CONCLUSION: In healthy adult donors donating voluntary blood, monitoring cold media images via virtual reality has been found to be an effective method to reduce the levels of pain and anxiety associated with phlebotomy.