Effect of Different Animal Interventions on Pain and Anxiety Levels Due to Port Catheter Needle Entry

NCT07238361 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: RCS03072024
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 120
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study was conducted to examine the effect of parrot, fish, and turtle therapies on procedural pain and anxiety levels associated with implantable venous port catheter needle insertion in patients receiving palliative care.

Conditions

Pain; Anxiety

Keywords

Pain; Anxiety; Animal therapy; Nursing; Palliative care.

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)

  The scale developed by Price et al. measures the intensity of pain in patients. The VAS, used to measure the intensity of the patient's pain perception, is 10 cm long and is graded on a horizontal line (0 = no pain, 10 = most severe pain). The patient is asked to mark a point on this line that corresponds to the intensity of the pain they feel. The marked numerical value indicates the intensity of the patient's pain perception. VAS value of 1-4 indicates mild pain, 5-6 indicates moderate pain, and 7-10 indicates severe pain. "VAS" were administered to the patients 2 times in total before the study (pretest) and the end of the end of the survey (posttest).

  Day 1

• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-I (STAI-I)

  Developed by Spielberger et al., the STAI-I is a 20-item self-report scale that measures momentary anxiety levels . The validity and reliability study of the Turkish adaptation of the scale was conducted by Öner and Lecompte . Participants respond according to a four-point scale ranging from "Never" (1) to "Completely" (4). In the scale, 10 items are directly coded (3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18) are positive, while 10 items are reverse-coded (1, 2, 5, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19, 20) and are negative. The scoring of reverse items is reversed (1→4, 4→1). All scores are added together, and 50 is added to the raw score to calculate a total score between 20 and 80. A score of 21-40 on the scale is considered mild anxiety, 41-60 is moderate anxiety, and 61 and above is severe anxiety "STAI-I" were administered to the patients 2 times in total before the study (pretest) and the end of the end of the survey (posttest).

  Day 1

Study Arms (4)

Sultan Parrot

EXPERIMENTAL

Before the implantable port catheter needle insertion procedure began, a nurse academic (to prevent bias) who was unaware of the study details administered the "Structured Patient Information Form," "VAS," and "STAI-I" to the patients. After the implantable port catheter needle was inserted by another nurse, accompanied by Sultan parrot therapy that provided interaction with the patients (such as watching and talking to the pet therapy animal), the "VAS" and "STAI-I" were administered again to measure patients' pain and anxiety levels during the procedure.

Behavioral: Sultan Parrot Therapy (Pet Therapy)

Betta Fish

EXPERIMENTAL

Before the implantable port catheter needle insertion procedure began, a nurse academic (to prevent bias) who was unaware of the study details administered the "Structured Patient Information Form," "VAS," and "STAI-I" to the patients. After the implantable port catheter needle was inserted by another nurse, accompanied by Betta fish therapy that provided interaction with the patients (such as watching and talking to the pet therapy animal), the "VAS" and "STAI-I" were administered again to measure patients' pain and anxiety levels during the procedure.

Behavioral: Betta Fish Therapy (Pet Therapy)

Red-Eared Slider Turtle Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Before the implantable port catheter needle insertion procedure began, a nurse academic (to prevent bias) who was unaware of the study details administered the "Structured Patient Information Form," "VAS," and "STAI-I" to the patients. After the implantable port catheter needle was inserted by another nurse, accompanied by Red-cheeked turtle therapy that provided interaction with the patients (such as watching and talking to the pet therapy animal), the "VAS" and "STAI-I" were administered again to measure patients' pain and anxiety levels during the procedure.

Behavioral: Red-Eared Slider Turtle Therapy (Pet Therapy)

Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

No procedures other than the needle insertion procedure for implantable port catheters were performed on these patients. Before and after the implantable port catheter needle insertion procedure, a nurse academic (to prevent bias) who was unaware of the details of the study administered the "Structured Patient Information Form," "VAS," and "STAI-I".

Interventions

Sultan Parrot Therapy (Pet Therapy) BEHAVIORAL

Sultan parrot therapy was applied during implantable port catheter needle insertion

Sultan Parrot

Betta Fish Therapy (Pet Therapy) BEHAVIORAL

Betta fish therapy was applied during implantable port catheter needle insertion.

Betta Fish

Red-Eared Slider Turtle Therapy (Pet Therapy) BEHAVIORAL

Red-eared slider turtle therapy was applied during implantable port catheter needle insertion.

Red-Eared Slider Turtle Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being 18 years of age or older,
• Agreement to participate in the study,
• Being able to communicate verbally,
• No vision, hearing, or speech problems,
• The patient must have a port catheter,
• The patient must be able to access the implantable port catheter needle in a single attempt,

You may not qualify if:

• Refusal to participate in the study,
• Resence of a psychiatric disorder,

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Karadeniz Technical University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Gümüşhane University

Gümüşhane, 29600, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pain; Anxiety Disorders

Interventions

Animal Assisted Therapy

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurologic Manifestations; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Rehabilitation; Aftercare; Continuity of Patient Care; Patient Care; Therapeutics; Physical Therapy Modalities; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Health Services; Health Care Facilities Workforce and Services

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Masking Details: Before the implantable port catheter needle insertion procedure began, a nurse academic (to prevent bias) who was unaware of the study details administered the "Structured Patient Information Form," "VAS," and "STAI-I" to the patients. After the implantable port catheter needle was inserted by another nurse, accompanied by a therapy animal (Sultan parrot, Betta fish, and Red-cheeked turtle) that provided interaction with the patients (such as watching and talking to the pet therapy animal), the "VAS" and "STAI-I" were administered again to measure patients' pain and anxiety levels during the procedure.
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant professor

Model Details: Considering accessibility, a total of 120 patients (4 groups each) who had their port catheter needles changed were included in the study . After completion of the study, a post-hoc power analysis performed using the G\*Power 3.1.9.7 program found the statistical power of the test to be 92% with an error rate of α:0.05 and an observed effect size of f=0.38.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 14, 2025
• First Posted: November 20, 2025
• Study Start: July 2, 2024
• Primary Completion: September 22, 2024
• Study Completion: October 7, 2024
• Last Updated: November 20, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)