BACKGROUND: Pain control is very important to ensure the comfort of patients and increase their quality of life. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to examine the effects of cold therapy in patients with chest tube before deep breathing and coughing exercises. METHODS: The study participants were patients with chest tubes, who were treated at a training and research hospital in Turkey between May 2, 2017, and October 24, 2019. Seventy patients participated in the study in accordance with the inclusion criteria. The intervention group, patient identification form, and visual analogue scale were used to collect data. Cold therapy was applied for the intervention group before deep breathing and coughing exercises, and not for the control group. RESULTS: The pain rates of the intervention group participants were lower (3.31) after the deep breathing and coughing exercises, than the rates (4.24) before the exercises (p < 0.01). The pain rate (5.29) among the control group participants after the deep breathing and coughing exercises was significantly higher than those before (3.47) the exercises (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed that cold therapy before deep breathing and coughing exercises effectively relieves pain in patients with chest tubes.

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