Randomized controlled trial of the foot reflexology on pain and anxiety severity during dressing change in burn patients.

BACKGROUND: One of the most important problems in burn patients was pain, especially in dressing changes. This pain can lead to anxiety in the patient. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot reflexology on pain and anxiety severity in burn patients. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial, in which 66 patients with burn injuries referred to Vali-e-asr Hospital, Arak, Iran participated. After obtaining written consent, patients were enrolled to study according to inclusion criteria and then, divided into intervention (n = 33) and control (n = 33) groups using simple random allocation. In the intervention group, in addition to standard care, reflexology was performed for one week on Saturday, Monday and Wednesday (three times in a week). The intervention was done one hour before dressing change in a separate room for 30 min. The control group received only standard care during this time (both intervention and control groups were the same in the type of treatment, and reflexology was considered as an extra care in the intervention group). Severity of pain and anxiety in both groups was measured using visual analog scale twice a day (5-10 min before dressing change and 5-10 min after dressing change) for six days. SPSS software ver. 15 was used for statistical analysis. Mean and standard deviation were used for quantitative variables and qualitative variables were reported as frequency and percentage. Data were analyzed using Chi­square, Mann-Whitney, Fisher's exact tests, and paired t-test. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to check the normality of data. RESULTS: The results showed no significant difference in severity of pain (p = 0.25) and anxiety (p = 0.37) between the two groups on the first day, before the intervention. In the following days, the results showed no significant difference between the two groups in the second and third treatments after intervention . However, the mean pain scores showed a significant difference between the two groups in the forth (p = 0.005), fifth (p = 0.001), and sixth (p = 0.001) days after intervention. Anxiety scores also showed a significant difference between the two groups on the fourth (p = 0.01), fifth (p = 0.001), and sixth (p = 0.001) days. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed foot reflexology is an appropriate and safe intervention for management of pain and anxiety of burn patients. Therefore, it can be used as a complementary method alongside other methods.

The effect of nutritional education program on quality of life and serum electrolytes levels in hemodialysis patients: A single-blind randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of nutrition education program on hemodialysis patients' quality of life (QoL) and serum electrolytes levels. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial in which 94 eligible hemodialysis patients were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 48) and control (n = 46) groups. In the intervention group, the patients were trained in healthy nutrition for four weeks. After two months, samples of both groups completed the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Instrument (KDQOL) and Na, K, P, Ca and Mg levels were also measured and compared. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in QoL scores and electrolytes between the two groups before intervention (p > 0.05). After intervention the QoL scores in the intervention group were significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.05). However, after intervention the levels of Na, K, P and Mg in the intervention group were significantly lower than in the control group (p < 0.05). Calcium level was not significantly different between the two groups after intervention (p = 0.16). CONCLUSION: The results showed that e-learning is effective in improving the QoL and serum electrolytes of hemodialysis patients. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This paper could serve as support for clinical healthcare professionals to improve patient knowledge and QoL through virtual education methods.

The effect of foot reflexology on constipation and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis. A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Constipation is a major problem in most patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot reflexology on constipation and quality of life in patients with MS. METHODS: This study was a randomized controlled trial, in which 63 patients with MS referred to Arak MS Society, Iran were participated (from May to Dec. 2018). In this study participants were selected according to inclusion criteria and randomly divided into intervention (n = 33) and control (n = 30) groups. In the intervention group, foot reflexology was applied twice a week for 6 weeks (each session lasted about 30-40 min). Data were collected using demographic questionnaire, Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS) and Short Form (SF) 36 Quality of Life (QOL) questionnaire. Finally, the data were analyzed using SPSS Ver. 16 and descriptive and inferential statistical tests. RESULTS: The results of the study showed that severity of constipation and QOL score were not significant between the two groups before intervention (p > 0.05), but; after intervention, severity of constipation significantly decreased in the reflexology group (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, after intervention, the QOL was improved in the reflexology group compared to the control group but was not significant (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that foot reflexology, as an effective intervention can be useful in management of constipation in patients with MS. Therefore, this intervention can be applied as a safe method for the decrease of constipation in MS patients.

Comparing the Effect of Foot and Hand Reflexology on Pain Severity after Appendectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is one of the main causes of acute pain. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of foot and hand reflexology on pain severity following appendectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted on 38 patients undergoing appendectomy in Alimoradian Hospital of Nahavand, Iran, in 2016. The samples were selected using convenience sampling, and then, randomly assigned to hand and foot reflexology groups via simple random sampling. In the foot reflexology group, the dorsal and plantar surfaces of the feet were lubricated using natural olive oil for five minutes. Next, reflexology was done by applying pressure to the appendix reflex area for 20 minutes. The same intervention was applied in the hand reflexology group. The severity of pain was measured using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) before the intervention and one, three, and 24 hours after the intervention. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, One-way Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA), and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: The results of one-way ANOVA showed no significant difference in the mean pain severity between the two groups (p = 0.771), whereas pain severity in the foot reflexology group was significantly lower than that of the hand reflexology group after the intervention (t = 1.63, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study showed that foot reflexology was more effective than hand reflexology in pain alleviation.

Reflexology as an adjunctive nursing intervention for management of nausea in hemodialysis patients: A randomized clinical trial.

INTRODUCTION: Nausea is common side effect of hemodialysis. Nonpharmacological methods such as reflexology or other branches of integrative medicine can be used to control nausea. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of reflexology on nausea in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: This study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial conducted from March 2018 to June 2018 at the Arak Dialysis Center, Iran, in which 72 eligible hemodialysis patients were randomly assigned into intervention (n = 36) and control (n = 36) groups. Reflexology was performed on the solar plexus and soles of the feet once (30 min per session) per day for twelve days, one hour after the onset of hemodialysis in the area of nausea on the solar plexus and on the soles of the feet. RESULTS: The results showed there was no significant difference in severity of nausea (P = 0.28) between the two groups before intervention. However, after intervention the severity of nausea in the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and 12th days in the intervention group was significantly lower than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that reflexology had a positive effect on reducing the severity of nausea in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, reflexology is recommended as part of nursing care to reduce patient suffering. Universities can train students in reflexology and managers can use the protocols to apply this method to reduce patient discomfort during hemodialysis.