Effects of acupressure on sleep quality and anxiety of patients with second- or third-degree burns: a randomized sham-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Although acupressure is proposed to boost sleep quality and alleviate anxiety in various disorders, no trials have yet documented these consequences in burn victims. Considering the high importance of managing sleep quality and anxiety among burn patients utilizing adjunctive non-pharmacological measures, this study sought to investigate the impacts of acupressure on sleep quality and anxiety among a population of Iranian patients with burn injuries. METHODS: This trial was performed on 72 patients with second- or third-degree burns, who were divided into two equal arms to receive routine care plus 10-minute acupressure on either real acupoints (i.e., Yintang and Shen men) or sham points for three consecutive nights. Sleep quality and anxiety were investigated at baseline (T1) and on the fourth day (T2) by using St. Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire (SMHSQ) and Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for State Anxiety (STAI-S), respectively. RESULTS: The mean scores of SMHSQ and STAI-S were significantly lower in the real acupressure arm at T2 (P < 0.001 in two cases), implying better sleep quality improvement and higher anxiety alleviation. Also, the reduction in mean changes of SMHSQ and STAI-S scores from T1 to T2 was significantly more in the real acupressure arm (P < 0.001 in two cases). CONCLUSION: Acupressure, as a low-cost complementary method, could be potentially helpful in enhancing sleep quality and decreasing the anxiety of burn patients. Additional long-term trials are required to identify the sustainability of the findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NO: IRCT20130424013110N13 (Registration date: 19/03/2021, https://www.irct.ir/trial/55076 ).

The effects of acupressure on post-dressing pain in burn patients: A clinical randomized trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Burns often cause severe pain, especially during dressing changes. This study aimed to investigate the effect of acupressure on pain during dressing changes in burn patients. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 76 burn patients. The eligible patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups after obtaining informed consent. Eligible patients were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups by blocking. The study was conducted over two days using the same method. Before entering the dressing room, acupressure was performed in the intervention group for 10 min in acupressure points and the control group in other points. Pain intensity was measured in two groups 30 min before entering the dressing room and 15 and 30 min after leaving the dressing room using VAS. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS software 25th edition. RESULTS: Pain scores were similar for the two groups before the dressing change. The results of this study revealed a significant decrease in the patient's pain intensity mean in the test group following acupressure compared to the control group on day one which remained on day two (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Considering the experience of severe pain in burn patients, acupressure is recommended as a complementary method along with modern medicine to reduce these patients' pains.

Comparing the Effect of Music and Puzzle-Solving on Anxiety Before Surgery in Children: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Hospitalization and the possibility of surgery are known as the main causes of anxiety in children, and anxiety is a natural physiological process in individuals that allows them to adapt and deal with a diversity of adverse conditions. The purpose of this research aimed to compare 2 methods of distraction including puzzle-solving and music on anxiety before pediatric surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is clinical trial research. First, 90 children 6 to 10 years old were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. In group A, the visual puzzlesolving items were presented, in group B, music with related pictures via a tablet was presented in the waiting room for surgery, and in group C, only standard care for each patient was presented. Anxiety before surgery was measured with a Children's Fear Scale questionnaire before moving the patient to the operating room, then 30 minutes before surgery in the pre-surgery waiting room, and the third stage immediately after transfer to the operating room before induction of anesthesia. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance, chi-square test, and Tukey test using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 21.0. RESULTS: The results of this research showed that the levels of anxiety significantly improved in the intervention groups compared to the control group after the intervention (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Music and puzzle-solving as complementary therapy can improve the levels of anxiety in children before surgery. Therefore, this technique can be recommended to be used along with modern medicine in children.

The effect of Shiatsu massage on agitation in mechanically ventilated patients: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients admitted to the intensive care units encounter many complications due to the nature of the disease and invasive medical procedures such as intubation and mechanical ventilation. Among these complications, agitation is a frequently-observed and serious problem. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Shiatsu massage on agitation in mechanically ventilated patients. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 68 mechanically ventilated patients were selected and then randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. Patients in the intervention group received three 5-minute periods of Shiatsu massage with a 2-minute break between them, while patients in the control group only received a touch on the area considered for the message. Data were collected before and after the intervention using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) and then analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA). RESULTS: The results showed that the level of agitation significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group (p=.001). CONCLUSION: Application of shiatsu massage seems to be effective in managing agitation in mechanically ventilated patients. Further studies with greater sample size and longer follow-up period are needed to confirm the current findings.