Effect of Islamic Dhikr on Pain Severity and Quality During Dressing Change in Patients with Burns

Background: Pain is a process of daily burn dressing changes. Evidence shows the effect of God’s name on reducing pain. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Islamic dhikr on pain severity and quality of burn dressing change. Methods: This clinical trial was performed on 71 patients with burns in 2017. Patients were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. Then, 10 minutes before the start of the dressing change, the participants were asked to repeat the praises of Hazrat Fatima (PBUH). Patients in the control group received routine care. Pain severity was measured in patients before and 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes after the dressing change with the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The pain quality of patients was measured 15 minutes after the dressing change with the modified McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 software with descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: The independent t-test showed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of mean pain severity 15, 30, and 45 minutes after the dressing change (P = 0.001, P = 0.04, and 0.007, respectively). Also, the repeated-measures analysis showed that the variation of the mean pain severity scores was statistically significant across all phases of the study (F = 30.42, P < 0.001). The results showed a statistically significant difference in the mean scores of sensory and emotional dimensions and the total score of pain quality between the two groups (P = 0.003, P = 0.07, and P = 0.047, respectively). Conclusions: Islamic dhikr can reduce pain during burn dressing changes.