Effect of hand reflexology in ameliorating anxiety, pain, and fatigue among patients undergoing coronary angiography

Authors: Ali Eman Abdeen, Awad Wafaa Hassan Ali, Khedr Mahmoud Abdelwahab, Rabie Emad Abd El Gawad AliJournal: BMC complementary medicine and therapiesPublished: November 24, 2023DOI: 10.1186/s12906-023-04256-6

Q1 JournalSJR: 0.85h-index: 85

Moderate EvidenceObservationaln=60 participants

Anxiety

In Plain Language: reflexology for anxiety, explained

Reflexology is a popular non-invasive complementary medicine technique to enhance anxiety, pain, and fatigue among patients undergoing coronary angiography. This study aimed to investigate the effect of hand reflexology in ameliorating anxiety, pain, and fatigue among patients undergoing coronary angiography. A quasi-experimental research design was used on 60 patients undergoing coronary angiography at Alexandria Main University Hospital's cardiology department (30 patients in each study and control group). Four tools were used to collect data: the socio-demographic and clinical data assessment sheet, the visual analogue scale, the Rhoten fatigue scale, and the Beck anxiety inventory. Scores of moderate anxiety, intractable pain, and severe fatigue among the study group significantly decreased after 2 h and three days of applying hand reflexology. The current study findings showed that hand reflexology is a simple, non-invasive nursing intervention that is effective and useful for managing pain, fatigue, and anxiety in patients undergoing coronary angiography as it resulted in a significant reduction in the severity of pain, fatigue, and anxiety after coronary angiography in the study group compared to the control group. The study was registered in the clinical trial.gov database (Clinicaltrials.gov NCT05887362 , 23/05/2023).

Key Findings: what this observational study found about anxiety

✓Hand reflexology significantly decreased moderate anxiety scores in coronary angiography patients at 2 hours and 3 days post-intervention.
✓Hand reflexology significantly reduced intractable pain levels in the study group at 2 hours and 3 days following the intervention.
✓Hand reflexology significantly decreased severe fatigue scores among patients undergoing coronary angiography at both 2 hours and 3 days post-treatment.

What This Means for You

Hand reflexology showed promise for reducing anxiety, pain, and fatigue during heart procedures in this study, though more research is needed to confirm these benefits work reliably for everyone.

What This Means for Practitioners

This quasi-experimental study provides supportive evidence that hand reflexology can be offered as a simple, non-invasive complementary intervention for cardiac patients experiencing procedure-related anxiety, pain, and fatigue.

Study Design: how this observational study was run

Sample Size

60 participants

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Reflexology for anxiety: common questions

Does reflexology help with anxiety?

Hand reflexology showed promise for reducing anxiety, pain, and fatigue during heart procedures in this study, though more research is needed to confirm these benefits work reliably for everyone.

What did this study find?

Hand reflexology significantly decreased moderate anxiety scores in coronary angiography patients at 2 hours and 3 days post-intervention. Hand reflexology significantly reduced intractable pain levels in the study group at 2 hours and 3 days following the intervention. Hand reflexology significantly decreased severe fatigue scores among patients undergoing coronary angiography at both 2 hours and 3 days post-treatment.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a observational study and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 60 participants. It was published in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, a Q1 journal. Reflexology is a complementary therapy, not a replacement for medical treatment.