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.