[The Effects of Hand Massage in Patients Who Underwent Transradial Percutaneous Coronary Intervention]

An intervention study of a combined intervention of positioning and hand massage in patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation

AIM

To identify the effectiveness of a combined intervention of 25° upper body elevation and hand massage in patients undergoing radiofrequency catheter ablation.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental study using a non-equivalent control group pre-test-post-test design.

METHODS

A total of 46 participants were assigned to an intervention group (N = 21) and a control group (N = 25). To test the effectiveness of the combined intervention, the major variables were low back pain and discomfort, including physical, psychological and environmental factors.

RESULTS

The control group had low back pain, and the physical, psychological and environmental discomfort scores increased over time, whereas the experimental group showed low back pain, and the physical, psychological and environmental discomfort scores were statistically significantly decreased. The combined intervention can be applied in clinical practice not only in patients who have undergone radiofrequency catheter ablation but also in those who require an immobile position due to puncture of a femoral blood vessel.

Effect of Hand Massage on Pain, Anxiety, and Vital Signs in Patients Before Venipuncture Procedure: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Massage is one of the relaxation techniques commonly used in recent years to control pain, stress, and anxiety.

AIMS

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of hand massage application on pain, anxiety, and vital signs before venipuncture procedure.

METHODS

The sample of the study consisted of 97 individuals (48 experimental and 49 controls) who were admitted to a training and research hospital in Turkey between December 2018 and May 2019. Individuals assigned to the experimental group received hand massage. The data were obtained with an individual information form, a visual analog scale (VAS), and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).

RESULTS

The mean age of the participants was 49.52 ± 12.48 years. There was no significant difference between the pain levels of the experimental and control groups (p > .05), but the anxiety level of the experimental group was significantly less than that of the control group (p < .05). There was also a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. The blood pressure and heart rate of the experimental group decreased significantly (p < .05).

CONCLUSION

Hand massage was found to be a simple, non-pharmacologic, inexpensive, and independent nursing practice that could be used to reduce anxiety and positively affect vital signs in patients before venipuncture procedure.