Skip to content

Weighted Blanket Use to Reduce Anxiety in Oncology Patients

Weighted Blanket Use in Oncology Patients to Reduce Anxiety

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06089408
Enrollment
114
Registered
2023-10-18
Start date
2023-08-01
Completion date
2027-12-31
Last updated
2026-08-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphoid Cell Neoplasm, Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Brief summary

This clinical trial compares the effect of using weighted blankets versus regular blankets during first time infusions (e.g. chemotherapy, targeted therapy etc.) to decrease adverse side effects such as anxiety and distress in cancer (oncology) patients. Feeling safe, comforted, and grounded in the world are some of the benefits noted by individuals who use weighted blankets. Deep touch pressure (DTP) has been found to reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety and is defined as a sensation one feels when being hugged, squeezed, or held. DTP affects the nervous system by creating a calming effect which may lower stress and increase feelings of well-being. The use of weighted blankets may help to manage anxiety and distress during chemotherapy or immunotherapy infusions.

Detailed description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: I. To assess the efficacy of weighted blankets on anxiety in patients receiving infusion therapy. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE: I. To assess the efficacy of weighted blankets on distress in patients receiving infusion therapy. OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms. ARM I: Patients use a weighted blanket for 30 minutes during the infusion appointment. ARM II: Patients use a regular blanket for 30 minutes per standard of care during the infusion appointment.

Interventions

OTHERBest Practice

Use a regular blanket

OTHERSupportive Care

Use a weighted blanket

OTHERSurvey Administration

Ancillary studies

Sponsors

Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age 18 years of age and older * About to begin either targeted or cytotoxic chemotherapy * Able to comprehend and sign a consent form * Able to read and complete surveys * Alert and oriented

Exclusion criteria

* Currently using a weighted blanket at home * Non-English speaking * Peripheral neuropathy * Fibromyalgia * Open pressure ulcer * Recent surgical flap * Claustrophobic * Weight 45 kg or less

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Levels of anxiety using State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for Adults, short formAt baseline and 30 minutes after use of either a standard or weighted blanketTo test for the effect of the weighted blanket, will fit a mixed model with the post-level of anxiety as the dependent variable and baseline values and treatment (standard or weighted blanket) as predictors. A random effect for patient will be fit to account for the possible correlation of within-patient repeated outcome measures. The models will control for patient gender and age.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Levels of distress using NCCN Distress ThermometerAt baseline and 30 minutes after use of either a standard or weighted blanketTo test for the effect of the weighted blanket, will fit a mixed model with the post-level of distress as the dependent variable and baseline values and treatment (standard or weighted blanket) as predictors. A random effect for patient will be fit to account for the possible correlation of within-patient repeated outcome measures. The models will control for patient gender and age.
Qualitative change in levels of anxiety based on the baseline and 30 min post blanket use scores using State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for Adults, short formAt baseline and 30 minutes after use of either a standard or weighted blanketWill be binned to create ordinal variables. If they lead to an adequate sample size in each group, clinically relevant cut points will be used for binning. Otherwise, we will bin using outcome medians or terciles, with the choice depending on the distribution of the data collected after blanket use. The categorical representation will be modeled using generalized linear mixed modeling. We will fit ordinal logistic regression models with repeated measures. As with the linear mixed models, baseline values and treatment (standard or weighted blanket) will be predictors, with patient gender and age as control variables.
Qualitative change in levels of distress based on the baseline and 30 min post blanket use scores using NCCN Distress ThermometerAt baseline and 30 minutes after use of either a standard or weighted blanketWill be binned to create ordinal variables. If they lead to an adequate sample size in each group, clinically relevant cut points will be used for binning. Otherwise, we will bin using outcome medians or terciles, with the choice depending on the distribution of the data collected after blanket use. The categorical representation will be modeled using generalized linear mixed modeling. We will fit ordinal logistic regression models with repeated measures. As with the linear mixed models, baseline values and treatment (standard or weighted blanket) will be predictors, with patient gender and age as control variables.

Countries

United States

Contacts

CONTACTThe Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center
OSUCCCClinicaltrials@osumc.edu800-293-5066
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAllison De Villiers, MSN, RN, ONC

Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Aug 6, 2026