A Master’s thesis by researcher Dhergham Hameed Ibrahim, entitled “The Combined Effect of Stress Ball and Lavender Oil on Pain and Anxiety During Arteriovenous Cannulation Among Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” was discussed at the College of Nursing, University of Baghdad. The study was conducted under the supervision of Professor Dr. Hakima Shaker Hassan. Following an extensive academic defense, the researcher was awarded a Master’s degree with an “Excellent” grade.
The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the combined effect of a stress ball and lavender oil on pain and anxiety during arteriovenous fistula needle insertion among hemodialysis patients. It also aimed to compare pain and anxiety outcomes between the intervention group and the control group, as well as examine the relationships between pain and anxiety outcomes and selected socio-demographic and clinical characteristics.
The results demonstrated a gradual reduction in pain across the six needle insertion sessions in the intervention group. The median pain score decreased from 5.9 in the first session to 3.0 in the sixth session, compared to a decrease from 6.0 to 5.4 in the control group. Statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups starting from the second session (p = 0.038), while highly statistically significant differences were noted in sessions three through six (p < 0.001).
Based on the research findings, the study recommended standardizing and integrating the combination of stress ball squeezing and lavender oil inhalation into routine nursing care during arteriovenous fistula needle insertion, applying the intervention consistently before and during the insertion procedure, encouraging evidence-based non-pharmacological methods to manage procedure-related pain and anxiety, and conducting further studies with larger sample sizes and multicenter designs to enhance the generalizability of the findings. This academic activity aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals that the College of Nursing at the University of Baghdad strives to achieve, particularly Goal 3: “Good Health and Well-being.”
