Learning Objective #1: The learner will be able to see the feasibility to apply the electrical heating pad to their patients.

Learning Objective #2: The learner will be able to understand how to conduct clinical research using their ideas.

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Background: The colonoscopy has a distressing procedure that induces abdominal discomfort, pain and anxiety from colon prep, loosing stool, and insertion of colonoscope and air. Although clients take pain and sedative medicine, they still feel anxiety and sharp pain during the procedure. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of electrical heating pad on abdominal pain and anxiety level during the colonoscopy procedure. Methods: Data were collected from 70 adult patients (35 in experimental and 35 in control group by matching) underwent colonoscopy in a general hospital in Seoul, South Korea from January 6, 2006 to May 4, 2006. The electrical heating pad was applied from 20 minutes before the test through the whole procedure to the experimental group. Objective pain level was measured during the test, and subjective pain level, state anxiety level, blood pressure and pulse rate were measured after the procedure. Results: The experimental group with electrical heating pad reported significantly lower subjective pain level than did the control group (F=13.102, p=.001). There were no significant differences in objective pain level (F=.099, p=.754) or anxiety level (F=3.768, p=.056) between experimental and control groups. Patients with an electrical heating pad showed significantly lower systolic and diastolic pressure than did those in the control group (F=11.78, p=.001; F=12.669, p=.001). There was no significant difference in pulse rate between the groups (F=2.493, p=.119). Conclusion: Electrical heating pad was efficient to reduce subjective pain level among patients underwent colonoscopy. Although the pad did not decrease the anxiety level statistically, the experimental group reported lower level of anxiety than did the control group (1.97 vs. 2.29), indicating clinically significant. This is a convenient and useful nursing intervention for nurse to decrease anxiety and pain among patients with colonoscopy.