Hematology Nurse Practitioner Dartmouth Health Lebanon, New Hampshire, United States
Introduction: Patients with Multiple Myeloma receive a number of bone marrow biopsies over their disease trajectory. Many patients report severe pain and anxiety during bone marrow biopsies (BMBx), but there is no formal consensus on the best approach to managing these symptoms during the procedure. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of simple foot touch on pain and anxiety during BMBx, and describe the patients’ experience during the procedure.
Methods: : A single-center randomized control trial using permuted block randomization was conducted at a rural academic cancer center. Nursing assistants without specialized massage training performed simple foot touch on patients in the intervention arm, while the BMBx was performed by advanced practice registered nurses. Patients rated pain and anxiety levels before and after BMBx using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scales, respectively. All participants completed a post-intervention survey about their experience.
Results: 46 patients were enrolled in the study; 21 in the intervention arm (median age 64.1 years) and 25 in the control arm (median age 64.4 years). There was no difference in the use of anxiolytics (p=0.51) or opioids (p=0.48) during the procedure between the two arms. There were no statistically significant differences on the VAS (p=0.37) or STAI (p=0.40) between the intervention and control arms. Participants in the intervention arm reported more positive feedback and fewer suggestions for improving the patient experience compared to the control arm.
Conclusions: This is the first study to use an interdisciplinary team approach to evaluate the impact of touch on pain, anxiety, and the patient experience during BMBx. While the intervention did not impact pain or anxiety scores, it may be a feasible, minimal-risk, and no-cost intervention to improve patients’ overall experience during BMBx.
