The Effects of Acupressure and Massage Following Cesarean Section

N/AEnrolling By InvitationNCT07432074

Marmara University111 enrolled

Overview

Cesarean section births have rapidly increased both in our country and worldwide in recent years. According to OECD data, one in four births worldwide and one in two births in our country is a cesarean section. The cesarean section has become one of the most frequently performed surgical interventions. The incision from a cesarean section causes pain, mobilization issues, and delays in mother-infant interaction. The choice of pharmacological methods used after a cesarean section is often limited by concerns about the baby and breastfeeding, leading to inadequate pain management and causing women to experience moderate to high levels of pain. Pain negatively affects individuals' comfort, leading to sleep disturbances, fatigue, and a decreased quality of life. It makes daily activities and responsibilities as individuals more challenging to manage. There is a need for nurses, in their primary caregiver role, to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to pain management and to develop their skills in using non-pharmacological methods. These methods should be clinically applied and proven effective. Acupressure and massage are long-standing, cost-effective, easy-to-apply, and effective methods used to reduce pain. This study aims to reduce pain and fatigue and improve sleep quality in women who have undergone a cesarean section by applying acupressure and massage in the postoperative period, thereby preventing the chronicization of these problems.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

111

Conditions

Pain Management

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 45 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Women aged 18-45 years * Undergoing cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia, * Having a term, single, and healthy newborn, * Gestational age of 37-40 weeks, * No communication difficulties, * No systemic or chronic diseases, * Willing to participate in the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Undergoing cesarean delivery under general or epidural anesthesia, * Development of any maternal or neonatal complications during the postpartum period (hypertension, hemorrhage, infants requiring intensive care, etc.), * Having chronic fatigue or pain problems, * Using caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate, etc.).

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Visual Analog Scale for Pain

Pain intensity was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale for Pain (VAS), a 10-cm horizontal line ranging from 0 to 10, where: * 0 = no pain * 10 = unbearable pain

Time frame: Periprocedural (immediately after the intervention or standard care)

Secondary Outcomes

Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale

Sleep quality was measured using the Postpartum Sleep Quality Scale, a 14-item questionnaire scored on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = Never to 4 = Always). Total scores range from 0 to 56, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality (worse outcome). The scale has no cut-off value. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention.

Time frame: 15 minutes after completion of the intervention

Postnatal Accumulated Fatigue Scale

Fatigue was assessed using the Postnatal Accumulated Fatigue Scale, a 13-item questionnaire comprising three subdomains (physical fatigue, emotional fatigue, and cognitive fatigue). Each item is scored as 0 = Almost none, 1 = Sometimes, and 3 = Mostly/Often. Total scores range from 0 to 39, with higher scores indicating greater fatigue (worse outcome). The scale has no cut-off value. Assessments were performed before and after the intervention.