Effect of progressive relaxation exercises on primary dysmenorrhea in Turkish students: A randomized prospective controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: A randomized prospective controlled study was conducted concerning the effects of progressive relaxation exercises on the reduction of pain in primary dysmenorrhea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research control group (CG) consisted of 60 students while the experimental group (EG) consisted of 64 students. The progressive relaxation exercises were self-administered via compact disc (CD) by participants for two menstrual cycles. A descriptive information form, a visual analog scale (VAS) and a dysmenorrhea monitoring form (DMF) were used for data collection. RESULTS: The difference between the average first and final post-exercise measurements of the VAS scores of students in the experimental group was statistically significant (p < 0.001), whereas the difference in the control group was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Progressive relaxation exercises are an effective method for reducing dysmenorrhea when they are performed on a regular basis.

The effect of cognitive behavioral techniques using virtual reality on birth pain: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of cognitive behavioral techniques using virtual reality on birth pain. DESING: This study was planned as a double blind randomized controlled experimental study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: It was conducted with 273 pregnant women who were randomized between July 2016 and June 2019 at maternity hospital located in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. METHODS: The study included 5 groups. (A: videos of newborn photographs with classical music, B: the video of the newborn photograph album, C: an introductory film of Turkey, D: only classical music, E: routine hospital care). The data were collected by using the "Personal Information Form", "Visual Analogue Scale", "Verbal Rating Scale" and "Virtual Reality". FINDINGS: Groups show homogeneity in terms of demographic and obstetric variables. It was found that mean Visual Analogue Scale posttest mean score of the group A was 4.98 ± 1.69; group B 4.96 ± 1.72; group C 5.96 ± 2.05; group D 5.60 ± 1.63 and group E 6.38 ± 1.86. Mean Verbal Rating Scale posttest score was found that group A was 2.64 ± 0.73, group B 2.70 ± 0.87, group C 3.18 ± 1.14, group D was 2.80 ± 0.86 and group E was 3.96 ± 1.01. It was obtained that the groups' mean Visual Analogue Scale and Verbal Rating Scale posttest mean scores was statistically significant (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, all cognitive techniques applied with virtual reality reduced labor pain during the active phase of labor. Especially the video of newborn photographs with classical music and newborn photograph album have been found more effective than other interventions evaluated in reducing labor pain. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Midwives can use these techniques to reduce birth pain.

Oral Glucose and Listening to Lullaby to Decrease Pain in Preterm Infants Supported with NCPAP: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Preterm infants spend the early days of their lives in neonatal intensive care units, where they undergo many minor painful procedures. There are many nonpharmacologic methods that can effectively reduce the pain response of neonates who undergo routine procedures. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate whether oral glucose and listening to lullabies could bring pain relief during the removal and reinsertion of the tracheal tube and also oronasopharyngeal suctioning in premature infants to whom nasal continuous positive airway pressure was applied. DESIGN: A double-blind, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: This study was conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit in the tertiary setting between November 2012 and September 2013. PARTICIPANTS/SUBJECTS: A total of 106 preterm infants were divided into three groups, including 37 infants in the control group, 35 infants in the lullaby group, and 34 infants in the glucose group. METHODS: All preterm infants were randomly assigned to either the intervention groups or the control group. Pain responses were assessed using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale and the Premature Infant Pain Profile. RESULTS: An assessment of the pain severity of the preterm infants after the intervention indicated that the preterm infants in the lullaby and glucose groups had lower pain, whereas the preterm infants in the control group experienced more pain (p < .05). CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that pain could be reduced significantly in preterm infants after the suggested intervention, although further studies are required to identify the benefits of lullabies or glucose in infants during other painful procedures.

Effect of abdomen massage for prevention of feeding intolerance in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of abdominal massage on feeding tolerance in stable preterm infants fed minimal enteral nutrition. METHODS: The study was conducted on a control-grouped pre-test, post-test quasi-experimental design at the neonatal intensive care unit of a university hospital in Turkey between March and July 2012. Abdominal massage was applied to the massage group subjects for 15 minutes, 2 times daily, before the subject was fed starting in the 5-day study period. RESULTS: The study was conducted with 27 subjects, 14 in the massage group and 13 in the control group. When frequency of defecation measurements were analysed, the difference between the first day and last day of the study was not statistically significant in the massage group. However, when daily weight gain, frequency of vomiting, abdominal circumference and gastric residual volume excess measurements were analysed, the differences between the first day and last day of the study were statistically significant in the massage group. CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with the results of the study, we suggest that nurses should apply abdominal massage twice a day as an intervention helping to prevent gastric residual volume excess and abdominal distension in enterally fed preterm infants.

Effect of aromatherapy massage on dysmenorrhea in Turkish students.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of aromatherapy massage on dysmenorrhea. The study used a quasiexperimental design with the subjects as their own control. Every participant applied both aromatherapy massage with lavender oil and placebo massage with odorless liquid petrolatum [soft paraffin]. The population comprised 438 midwifery and nursing students. The 150 students who had declared that they had suffered from dysmenorrhea used a visual analog scale to indicate their level of pain. Higher scores reflected a greater severity of dysmenorrhea. Forty-four students volunteered to participate in the study. When the lavender massage and the placebo massage were compared, the visual analog scale score of the lavender massage was found to decrease at a statistically significant rate. This study showed that massage was effective in reducing dysmenorrhea. In addition, this study showed that the effect of aromatherapy massage on pain was higher than that of placebo massage.

Midwifery education in Turkey.

Midwives are the most important health workers for the protection and improvement of maternal and infant health. A well organized health system and qualified midwife education programs developed in accordance with contemporary requirements are required to ensure the competence of midwives in their practice.