Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Needle Localization For Breast Biopsy: The Patient's Experience, Marian De Walt Morgan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The needle localization procedure for breast biopsy (NLP) can be painful and distressing for some women. This study was carried out to learn what factors might increase or decrease NLP pain and distress, and to gain insight into possible interventions to make the procedure more comfortable for all patients. One hundred and thirty-eight women were surveyed following breast needle localization at two central Virginia hospitals. The influence of eight variables (lidocaine, self-regulation, anxiety, worry about breast cancer, breast tenderness, finding mammography painful, difficulty with surgery, and distress of blood drawing) on four outcome variables (pain incidence, pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, …