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NCT Number: NCT06407622

The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Patients Undergoing Appendectomy Surgery

Pain is an unpleasant experience that can negatively affect all aspects of the patients life and lead to a decrease in quality of life. Pain can also be encountered as a reason for a surgical intervention. For this reason, it has become one of the most common problems experienced by patients in the postoperative period. Pain management is a universal requirement in health care and is of great importance for patients. If the pain is not managed well in the postoperative period, it may cause some complications in the patient. If pain is controlled, early discharge of the patient, lower healthcare costs and increased patient satisfaction are achieved. In terms of providing effective pain control, it is provided by nurses, who are health professionals, to spend more time with the patient, to lead the patient in pain management and to analyze the results. The aim of the thesis study is to evaluate the effect of foot reflexology on pain intensity, sleep quality and bowel functions in patients who have undergone appendectomy surgery.

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Key information

Conditions

Nursing Abdominal Pain Appendectomy Bowel Functions Dyssomnias Mental Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Pain Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Reflexology Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms, Digestive Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders Sleep Quality Sleep Wake Disorders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Bartın University

Bartın, Centrical, 74100, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

Optimal management of postoperative pain is associated with reduced morbidity and faster recovery times, as well as improved physical function and quality of life. Despite efforts to minimize postoperative pain, 61% of outpatients still experience moderate/extreme pain upon discharge. Pain management is an important aspect of patient care, and nurses play an important role in providing pain assessment and treatment in the acute care setting. The use of non-pharmacological pain relief techniques has been found to be effective with fewer side effects and complications. Reflexology, one of the types of complementary and alternative medicine, has begun to be used as a nursing intervention along with modern medicine as a non-pharmacological method. When the investigators look at the past years; The effects of foot reflexology on pain intensity, nausea, anxiety, delirium, and hemodynamic parameters were investigated. The studies conducted include cancer patients, burn patients, intensive care patients and dialysis patients. However, in previous studies, no study was found investigating the effect of foot reflexology on sleep quality and bowel functions in patients undergoing surgical intervention. This study is thought to be the first to evaluate the effect of foot reflexology on sleep quality and bowel functions in surgical patients. In this respect, it is a study that will contribute to the literature.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • • 18 years and over,
  • Having undergone appendectomy surgery,
  • No complications such as bleeding, nausea or vomiting after appendectomy surgery,
  • Not using patient-controlled analgesia for postoperative pain control,
  • Pain score ≥4 according to the Visual Analog Scale,
  • No hypertension problems,
  • Able to speak and understand Turkish
  • No visual or auditory problems,
  • No diagnosed psychiatric problems,
  • No diagnosed bowel problems,
  • Do not have infectious skin diseases on their feet (such as zoster, fungus, warts, eczema),
  • Patients who do not have deep vein thrombosis, tombophlebitis, any fracture, neuropathy, osteomyelitis, osteoporosis, or ligament injury in their feet or legs,
  • Volunteer patients will be included.

Exclusion criteria

  • • Complications developed after appendectomy surgery,
  • Pain score <4 according to the Visual Analog Scale,
  • Those with hypertension problems,
  • Unable to communicate,
  • Having visual or auditory problems,
  • Having a diagnosed psychiatric problem,
  • Having a diagnosed bowel problem,
  • Those with infectious skin diseases on their feet (such as zoster, fungus, warts, eczema),
  • Patients with deep vein thrombosis, tombophlebitis, any fracture, neuropathy, osteomyelitis, osteoporosis, ligament injury in the foot and leg,
  • Non-voluntary patients will be excluded from the scope.

Treatment and study plan

Foot reflexology

Other

In previous studies, no study was found investigating the effect of foot reflexology on sleep quality and bowel functions in patients undergoing surgical intervention. This study is thought to be the first to evaluate the effect of foot reflexology on sleep quality and bowel functions in surgical patients. In this respect, it is a study that will contribute to the literature.

Other names: Foot, Reflexology

Primary outcomes

  1. The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Pain Intensity

    Time frame: initial postoperative evaluation, 1st hour and 3rd hour

    In this study, foot reflexology will be applied to patients who have undergone appendectomy surgery. After this reflexology, patients' pain intensity will be evaluated. When the patients come out of appendectomy surgery, their pain will be evaluated with visual analog scale(VAS). Then, no intervention will be applied to the control group. Foot reflexology massage will be applied to the patients in the intervention group at the 1st hour postoperatively and pain values will be measured with VAS at 5 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after this application. At the 3rd hour postoperatively, reflexology massage will be performed for the 2nd time and pain intensity will be evaluated with VAS at 5 minutes, 30 minutes and 60 minutes after the re-massage.

    VAS pain score is evaluated as "no pain" (score=0) and "worst pain" (score=10). score <3 is reported as mild pain, 3-6 as mild-moderate pain and >6 as moderate-severe pain.

  2. The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Sleep Quality

    Time frame: 24 hours after surgery

    After appendectomy surgery, no intervention will be applied to the control group, while foot reflexology will be applied to the intervention group at the 1st and 3rd hour after surgery. At 24 hours, the sleep quality of the intervention and control group patients will be evaluated with the Richard Cambple Sleep Scale.

    Richard Campbell sleep scale consists of 6 items. Total scoring is based on the first 5 items. Each item is evaluated on a scale of 0-100 with the visual analog scale technique. A score of 0-25 on the scale indicates very poor sleep and 76-100 indicates very good sleep.

  3. The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Bowel Function

    Time frame: initial postoperative evaluation, 1st hour and 3rd hour

    After appendectomy, bowel functions of the control and intervention groups will be evaluated. Afterwards, foot reflexology will be applied to the intervention group at the 1st and 3rd hour and their bowel functions will be evaluated on the bowel monitoring form. The control group will be evaluated at the 1st hour and 3rd hour after surgery without any intervention. Bowel functions will be recorded on the bowel function monitoring form created by the researcher. This form includes parameters such as the time of the first flatulence, the time of the first defecation, the time of oral feeding, and the time of the first mobilization.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Bartın Unıversity

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Pain Intensity, Sleep Quality and Bowel Functions in Patients Undergoing Appendectomy Surgery

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2024
First posted
May 9, 2024
Registry last updated
May 9, 2024

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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