The Effect of Using Virtual Reality Glasses on Pain During Fistula Cannulation in Hemodialysis Patients

Plain-language summary

Hemodialysis; It is the process of returning the liquid and solute content of the blood taken from the patient to the patient as a result of rearrangement by means of a membrane and with the help of a machine. A permanent vascular access that can be used for months or years is required for HD treatment to be sufficient for patients with end-stage renal disease to survive and improve their quality of life. For this reason, patients who will be treated for HD need to have an arterio-venous fistula (AVF), graft or catheter to ensure adequate blood flow. CRF patients treated with HD are exposed to 300-320 AVF cannulations per year on average. The size and length of the diameter of the fistula needles, the piercing process created in the skin, the advancement of the needles into the tissue during the procedure, the entry angle of the needles and the entry techniques cause the patients to experience pain during the procedure. Non-pharmacological methods frequently used in pain control include many applications such as distraction, massage, hot and cold application, aromatherapy. Distraction, which is one of the non-pharmacological methods, is a method that enables patients to focus their attention on a different point and to control and reduce the symptoms they experience. Methods such as listening to music, taking pictures, watching television, solving puzzles, daydreaming, deep breathing and coughing exercises, sphygmomanometer blowing, active listening, tapping, inflating balloons, distraction cards and using virtual reality glasses are used for this purpose. With the virtual reality glasses, the individual gets away from the environment with the glasses connected to the device worn on his head and the sounds coming from the headset, concentrates his attention on the image he watches and feels like he is in another world thanks to these five-dimensional glasses. The most basic feature that distinguishes virtual reality glasses from similar applications is that it gives people a real feeling. Virtual reality glasses, which are easy to apply and use, have no side effects, and can be effective in physical, psychological and social recovery, are an initiative that can be preferred in health applications. In this study, it is aimed to determine the effect of using virtual reality glasses on pain during fistula cannulation applied to hemodialysis patients. The hypotheses of the research; H₀: The use of virtual reality glasses is not effective in reducing the severity of pain. H1: The use of virtual reality glasses reduces the severity of pain.

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