The venodilation effects of tapping versus massaging for venipuncture

To compare the effectiveness of tapping and massaging venodilation techniques by evaluating venous cross-sectional area, venous depth, venous palpation score, and questionnaire responses of study participants.

This study had a quasi-experimental design. Between August 2016 and October 2016, healthy adult volunteers (n = 30, mean ± standard deviation of age: 22.3 ± 2.2 years) were enrolled in this study. Three venodilation techniques were evaluated: the application of a tourniquet (Control Group), the application of a tourniquet and tapping of the participant's forearm (Tapping Group), and the application of a tourniquet and massaging of the participant's forearm (Massage Group).

In all three groups, venous cross-sectional areas increased significantly after the application of the venodilation technique. The change ratio of venous cross-sectional area was significantly larger in the Massage Group than in the Control Group. Additionally, 83.3% of the participants selected massaging as their preferred venodilation technique, stating the technique was comfortable and provided a feeling of relief.

No significant differences were observed between the degrees of venodilation that were achieved using the three investigated venodilation techniques. Nonetheless, massaging was deemed the most effective technique after considering the participants' subjective comments.