Assessing the Effectiveness of Distraction Techniques on Alleviating Pain and Anxiety in Women Undergoing Screening Mammography

Background: Mammography is the most useful test for detecting the growth of breast tumors. Regular screening mammograms for women can reduce the death rate from breast tumor progression. Aim: Assess the effectiveness of distraction techniques on alleviating pain and anxiety in women undergoing screening mammography. Subjects and method: Design: A prospective, randomized controlled trial research design was used. Setting: The study was conducted in Al-Iman Center at Al-Tadamon Hospital in Port Said city. Subjects: One hundred women were randomly assigned to two equal groups as part of a purposive sample. Tools of the study: Three instruments were employed to collect data for the purpose of research. Structured interviews, The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and The numerical pain rating scale (NRS). Results: Having a painful examination and being afraid of radiation are the biggest obstacles to mammography. In terms of pain, the results showed that the distraction group's mean pain score decreased to 2.82±2.037 as compared to 5.22±1.788 in the control group, with a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.00). Furthermore, a drop in the distraction group's mean anxiety score was noted in comparison to the control group (7.12±4.397 & 7.88±4.059, respectively), with no statistically significant differences between the two groups (p=0.37). Conclusion: Distraction techniques are a useful and recommended technique to help women cope with their discomfort and anxiety during breast tumor screening mammograms. Recommendation: It is recommended that this should include into formal work protocols, procedural guidelines, training curricula, and performance evaluation standards for radiographers.