ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT07929883Updated Nov 10, 2026

The Effect of 4-7-8 Breathing Exercises on Pain, Comfort, and Satisfaction During Intramuscular Injection

An interventional study of 4 7 8 breath exercise in Procedural Pain, sponsored by Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi. Completed at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-10.

Sponsored by Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 3 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Jul 2026, registered Oct 2026).
Updated Nov 10, 2026Newly registeredGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
140
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of 4-7-8 breathing exercises performed before and during intramuscular injection on pain intensity, patient comfort, and satisfaction in adults using a randomized controlled trial design.

Read the detailed description

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of 4-7-8 breathing exercises performed before and during intramuscular injection on pain intensity, patient comfort, and satisfaction in adults using a randomized controlled trial design.Participants in the intervention group received a verbal explanation of how to perform the 4-7-8 breathing exercise before intramuscular injection, followed by a demonstration accompanied by an instructional video.Participants in the control group received standard intramuscular injections without any additional breathing exercises.

02

Conditions studied

  • Procedural Pain

Keywords

  • Injection-related pain
  • Post-injection satisfaction
  • Fear of Injection
03

In context

Pain, Procedural

241 studies on the registry are indexed under Pain, Procedural; 64 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 140 is above the median of 90 across 227 interventional studies indexed under Pain, Procedural.

Browse Pain, Procedural studies →

Lead sponsor

Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi is the lead sponsor of 453 studies on the registry; 140 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

Patients aged 18 years or older. Patients presenting to the green-zone treatment unit of the emergency department.

Patients scheduled to receive a single-dose intramuscular injection of diclofenac sodium (75 mg/3 mL) into the ventrogluteal site, as prescribed by a physician.

Ability to read and write in Turkish. Cognitive ability to understand and follow the study instructions. Willingness to participate in the study and provision of written .

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Acute or chronic respiratory diseases. Neuromuscular disorders affecting respiratory function or respiratory muscles. Respiratory symptoms that could interfere with the performance of the breathing exercise.

History of dizziness, syncope, or hyperventilation. Diagnosed panic disorder or anxiety disorder. Uncontrolled hypertension, severe cardiovascular disease, or arrhythmia. Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Use of analgesics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, sedatives, anxiolytics, or muscle relaxants within 24 hours before the injection.

Lesions, infection, hematoma, or edema at the injection site. (BMI) below 18.5 kg/m² or ≥30 kg/m². Inability to understand and follow the study instructions.

Terms in these criteria, in plain language(2)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

BMI (body mass index)

Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.

What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Care provider, Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
140 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • No intervention
    Control group

    no intervention

  • Experimental
    4 7 8 breath exercise group

    4 7 8 breath exercise

    Other: 4 7 8 breath exercise

Interventions

  • Other4 7 8 breath exercise

    Participants in the intervention group received a verbal explanation of how to perform the 4-7-8 breathing exercise before intramuscular injection, and the procedure was demonstrated using an instructional video. The exercise consisted of three phases: inhaling for four seconds, holding the breath for seven seconds, and exhaling slowly and in a controlled manner for eight seconds. Participants performed eight repetitions under the researcher's supervision, and their ability to perform the exercise was assessed. Standard intramuscular injection was initiated once participants demonstrated the ability to perform the exercise. The breathing exercise began before the injection and continued throughout the injection procedure.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Pain Scores Assessed by Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

    Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.

    Time frame: Immediately after intramuscular injection (post-injection) (Day 1)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Post-Injection Satisfaction Scale Scores

    Post-Injection Satisfaction Scale The Post-Injection Satisfaction Scale (PISS), developed by Yıldız and ve Çiftçi, was used to assess patients' satisfaction with the injection procedure. The scale is a 5-point Likert-type structure rated from 1=Not at all satisfied to 5=Very satisfied. The scale consists of two dimensions: 'Satisfaction with the Practitioner' (Items 5-9) and 'Satisfaction with the Procedure' (Items 1-4). Scoring is based on the average of the items, with the lowest possible score being 1 and the highest possible score being 5. As the score increases, the patient's satisfaction level also increases.

    Time frame: Immediately after intramuscular injection (post-injection) (Day 1)

  2. Comfort Scale for Injection

    Comfort Scale for Injection (CTSI): The Comfort Scale for Injection was developed by Yıldız et al. 2024 to assess comfort levels related to injection procedures (Yildiz et al., 2024). It consists of 10 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Higher scores indicate greater comfort.

    Time frame: Immediately after intramuscular injection (post-injection) (Day 1)

  3. Injection Fear Scale Scores

    Fear of Injection Scale (FIS): The Fear of Injection Scale was developed by Yıldız and Çiftçi (2023) to assess individuals' fear related to injection procedures (Yıldız \& Çiftçi, 2023). The scale consists of 14 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Higher scores indicate greater fear.

    Time frame: Assessment of the fear of injection experienced by the participants before the procedure.

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Atatürk Sanatoryum Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi
    Ankara, Turkey (Türkiye)
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, subject to ethical approval and applicable data protection requirements.

Supporting information: Study protocol, Informed consent form

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Jul 2026 to primary completion in Oct 2026, 3 months.

Of 141 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Pain, Procedural, half reached primary completion within 7 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 15. This study's 3 months is below that.

Counting every sponsor, half of 141 studies reached it within 7 months; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 15.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Oct 30, 2026
First posted
Nov 10, 2026
StartActual
Jul 1, 2026
Primary completionActual
Oct 30, 2026
CompletionActual
Oct 30, 2026
Last update
Nov 10, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Registered
First appeared on the registry. No changes since
Nov 10, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Nov 10, 2026
    First appeared on the registry

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07929883
Responsible party
Tulay Basak (Prof, Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi) — Principal investigator
First posted
Nov 10, 2026
Start date
Jul 1, 2026
Primary completion
Oct 30, 2026
Completion
Oct 30, 2026
Last update
Nov 10, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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