Meditation Eases Pain, Anxiety and Fatigue During Breast Cancer Biopsy

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DURHAM, N.C. -- Meditation eases anxiety, fatigue and pain for women undergoing breast cancer biopsies, according to researchers at the Duke Cancer Institute. They also found that music is effective, but to a lesser extent.
The researchers note that adopting these simple, inexpensive interventions could be especially helpful in light of recent reports citing anxiety and pain as potential harms from breast cancer screenings and testing.
“Image-guided needle biopsies for diagnosing breast cancer are very efficient and successful, but the anxiety and potential pain can have a negative impact on patient care,” said Mary Scott Soo, M.D., associate professor of radiology at Duke Cancer Institute and lead author of the study published online February 4 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
"Patients who experience pain and anxiety may move during the procedure, which can reduce the effectiveness of biopsy, or they may not adhere to follow-up screening and testing,” Soo said.
She added that the study comes at a time when federal reimbursementrequirements are increasingly focusing on patient care and adjusting payments based on patient satisfaction.
“It’s important that we address these issues to provide a better experience and more compassionate care for our patients,” So...

Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - February 8, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Medicine Source Type: news