Objective: The study aims to assess the effect of squeezing a stress ball during transnasal flexible laryngoscopy on perceived patient discomfort. We hypothesize that patients asked to squeeze a stress ball will report lower discomfort levels compared to those receiving standard care without this intervention, based on findings from similar studies involving procedures like blood draws and cystoscopy.

Methods: We will conduct a randomized controlled trial involving at least 120 adult patients scheduled for transnasal flexible laryngoscopy in Tufts Medical Center's Department of Otolaryngology. Recruitment is aimed to begin in early 2025. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the intervention group, using a stress ball during the procedure, or the control group, receiving standard care. Data on perceived discomfort will be collected through a visual analog scale post-procedure.

Results: We expect that data analysis will demonstrate lower perceived discomfort scores among patients in the stress ball group compared to the control group. We plan to have preliminary data available by the time of the conference, as we plan to be recruiting participants in clinic between January-May 2025.

Conclusions: If our hypothesis is confirmed, this study may establish the use of stress balls as an effective, low-cost method for enhancing patient comfort during transnasal flexible laryngoscopy, with the goal of improving the overall patient experience in outpatient ENT settings.