Port catheters play a significant role in the management of cancer patients and eliminate the need for serial peripheral access by reducing patient anxiety associated with repeated venous punctures.
In particular, inserting the needle into a subcutaneous port can be painful, frightening, and uncomfortable, even when the skin is numbed with a local anesthetic. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of stress ball use on pain, anxiety, and patient satisfaction during port catheter needle changes in oncology patients.