Background: Peripheral intravenous cannulation is a frequent procedure nurses perform that causes
pain and anxiety to patients. The valsalva maneuver performed during venous cannula insertion can
effectively reduce the incidence and severity of venipuncture pain in adults. Aim: This study was
designed to evaluate the effectiveness of valsalva maneuver in reducing pain among adult patients
undergoing peripheral intravenous cannulation. Method: A quasi-experimental research design was
adopted in this study, which was conducted at the surgical and medical departments of Mansoura
University Hospital. A purposive sample of 60 patients who were randomly classified into two
groups: The study group consisted of 30 patients who underwent peripheral intravenous cannulation
during valsalva maneuver, and the control group comprised 30 patients who were punctured using
the routine method. The patients' pain scores were evaluated 2 min after cannulation using the
numerical rating scale for pain, and the Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale-20 was used to assess the
level of anxiety. Results: In the control group, 40% of the patients had severe pain, whereas, in the
study group, 43.3% had mild pain. A statistically significant difference was observed between the
control and study groups (p = 0.0023). Moreover, statistically significant differences in pain level
and anxiety symptoms were observed between the control and study groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion:
The valsalva maneuver is a simple cost-effective method for decreasing pain and level of anxiety
during Peripheral intravenous cannulation. Recommendation: we recommend the use of the
Valsalva maneuver before performing the Peripheral intravenous cannulation for reducing pain and
related stress during venous cannulation in adults.