Effect of Reciting the Name of God on the Pain and Anxiety Experienced by Burn Patients during Dressing

Background and Objectives: The pain and anxiety experienced by burn patients during dressing change cannot be thoroughly controlled by painkillers and anxiolytics. Evidence has documented that reciting the name of God can positively impact the reduction of pain and anxiety caused by aggressive procedures. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of reciting the name of God on the pain and anxiety caused by dressing change in patients with burn injuries. Methods: The present clinical trial study was performed on 71 patients admitted to the burn ward of Nekouei-Hedayati-Forghani Hospital affiliated to Qom University of Medical Sciences in 2017. Patients were selected by the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups using the stratified randomization method. Thereafter, 10 min before dressing change, the patients in the experimental group were asked to recite the name of God, while the cases in the control group received the routine care. Patients' pain intensity was measured before mentioning the name of God and immediately after dressing change. Anxiety caused by burn pain was measured before mentioning the name of God, before dressing change, immediately after dressing change, and 15 min later. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 22) using descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square, independent t-test, and paired t-test). Results: The mean age of participants was reported as 44.59±9.13. The result of the independent t-test showed that the mean score of pain immediately after dressing change was found to be lower in the intervention group, compared to the control group (P=0.04). Moreover, the result of pair t-test in the intervention group demonstrated that the mean score of pain-induced anxiety was lower immediately after dressing change, in comparison with the time before reciting the name Of God (P<0.001). Conclusion: As evidenced by the obtained results, reciting the name of God can reduce the anxiety and pain associated with wound dressing changes in burn patients. Therefore, it is suggested that the name of God be used along with pharmaceutical interventions to control pain and anxiety experienced at dressing change.