Bottom Line: Exploring whether hand-holding or squeezing a stress ball would reduce patient anxiety during skin cancer surgery under local anesthesia was the main focus of this randomized clinical trial. The study of 135 patients at an urban academic medical center reports that patients who used stress balls or whose hands were held weren't less anxious, didn't experience less pain and were no more satisfied with the procedure than other patients.
Authors: Murad Alam, M.D., M.S.C.I., M.B.A., of the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, and coauthors
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To Learn More: The full study is available on the For The Media website .
(doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.1783)
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JAMA Dermatology