The following is a summary of “Impact of Visual Distraction Interventions on Patients’ Pain and Anxiety During Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials,” published in the October 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Saab et al.      

Patients undergoing colonoscopy may experience psychological distress related to the procedure, which may deter adherence and acceptance of future colonoscopies.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs assessing visual and audiovisual distraction interventions.  

They analyzed 13 RCTs and 1,439 patients retrieved from databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science (WOS), SCOPUS, and Cochrane (June 2024). Continuous and dichotomous outcome variables were pooled using Cohen’s d and risk ratio (RR) with CI using Stata MP version 17. They assessed heterogeneity with the chi-square (χ²) test and I² statistic (PROSPERO ID: CRD42024555902).  

The results showed that the active intervention group experienced a significant reduction in pain (Cohen’s d: −0.57, 95% CI [−0.79, −0.35], P<0.0001), decreased anxiety related to colonoscopy (Cohen’s d: −0.66, 95% CI [−1.15, −0.18], P=0.01), and increased patient satisfaction (Cohen’s d: 0.65, 95% CI [0.49, 0.80], P<0.0001) compared with the usual care group, however, no significant differences between groups in willingness to re-undergo the procedure (RR: 1.11, 95% CI [0.98, 1.25], P=0.09), analgesia use (Cohen’s d: −0.21, 95% CI [−0.42, 0.0], P=0.05), or total procedure duration (Cohen’s d: −0.12, 95% CI [−0.24, 0.0], P=0.06).  

They concluded that visual and audiovisual distraction interventions effectively reduce colonoscopy-related pain and anxiety and enhance patient satisfaction, which may improve compliance with future procedures.  

Source: journals.lww.com/jcge/abstract/9900/the_impact_of_visual_distraction_interventions_on.372.aspx