How Does Waiting Time Affect Anxiety and Pain in Adult Individuals Undergoing Venous Blood Drawing?

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the correlation between the waiting time and anxiety levels of the individuals in adult blood collection unit and the pain they felt during the procedure. Method: This cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in Adult Blood Collection unit of a training, and research hospital between September and October 2018. The Case Report Form, Spielberg State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) were used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test, Post Hoc Dunn test with Bonferroni Correction, and Spearman Correlation Coefficient were used to assess the data. Results: In this study including a total of 351 blood donors, the median age of the individuals was 43 (17-91)/years, 61% were female, and 63.8% had primary school and lower educational level. The median waiting time during the procedure was 6.0 (0.0-62.0)/min. It was determined that 95.4% of the individuals had given blood before, 13.7% had hematoma on the venipuncture site, and 13.4% had needle phobia. The median VAS score of the individuals was 2.0 and 51.9% had mild pain. The median STAI score of the individuals was 59.0 (25.0-80.0). While a positive significant correlation was determined between the waiting time for giving blood and VAS score (r=0.256, p<0.001), there was no significant correlation between the waiting time and STAI score (p>0.05). A negative significant correlation was determined between VAS and STAI scores (r=-0.417, p<0.001). Conclusion: Individuals feel mild pain and moderate anxiety during blood drawal. It was observed that as the waiting time of the individuals for giving blood increased, the pain they felt during the venipuncture increased but their anxiety levels were not affected.