Comparing Mirror and Music for Dialysis Needle Pain

Inserting needles into the vascular access (fistula) is a major source of pain and anxiety for many hemodialysis patients. This study compared two simple, non-drug techniques to reduce this pain: listening to music and looking into a mirror during the needle insertion. A total of 75 adult patients receiving regular hemodialysis at Izmir Özel Can Dialysis Center were randomly divided into three groups: a music group, a mirror group, and a control group. Patients in the music group listened to calming, instrumental Turkish classical music (makam) via headphones during cannulation. Patients in the mirror group looked at the reflection of their healthy arm in a mirror. The control group received standard care without these interventions. Pain intensity was measured immediately after needle insertion using a 10-cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), where 0 means "no pain" and 10 means "the worst imaginable pain." Pain scores were compared between the groups to determine which method was more effective. The results of this study may provide nurses and patients with easy-to-use, evidence-based options to make hemodialysis needle procedures less painful and stressful.

NCT Number	NCT07320859
Lead Sponsor	Izmir Kavram Vocational School Collaborators: Izmir Bakircay University
Conditions	Chronic Kidney Disease, Pain, Procedural, Arteriovenous Fistula
Enrollment	75 participants
Start Date	2025-12-01
Primary Completion	2025-12-01 (estimated)
Study Completion	2025-12-06 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-01-08