The effect of complementary medicine on maternal health promotion: An experimental study
Moderate EvidenceIn Plain Language
During the immediate post delivery period, women are particularly susceptible to distension of the bladder. Complementary and alternative medicine is becoming an established intervention modality within the contemporary health care system. However, very little is known about the impact of foot reflexology on the urinary system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the most popular type of complementary therapy (the foot reflexology) on first voiding time following elective cesarean section without urinary catheter. This experimental study was performed on 61 pregnant women in Pastor Hospital, Mashhad, Iran, who met the inclusion criteria. Accordingly, participants were randomly allotted to either treatment or control groups. The intervention group received a single 20-min foot re?exology session at 2-3 h after the surgery. The time taken for first void was recorded by research assistant that blinded to the allocation of groups. The findings were recorded and analyzed with the SPSS software by using of Chi-square, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, and Fisher exact methods P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Using General Linear Model (GLM) for controlling of confounding variables, the results of t-test showed significant differences between two groups in terms of first voiding time (P = 0.001) following surgery. It seems that the use of foot reflexology as a nursing care plan to prevent urinary retention after cesarean section without urinary catheter does shorten first voiding time and increase maternal satisfaction.
Key Findings: what this randomised trial found
- ✓Foot reflexology was administered as a single 20-minute session 2-3 hours after elective cesarean section to evaluate its effect on time to first voiding.
- ✓The study included 61 pregnant women randomly assigned to either a treatment group receiving foot reflexology or a control group without the intervention.
- ✓The research focused on reducing urinary retention complications in the immediate post-delivery period by testing foot reflexology as a complementary medicine intervention.
What This Means for You
A single reflexology session may help speed up urination after cesarean delivery, though this finding is based on one moderate-sized study and should be discussed with your healthcare provider.
What This Means for Practitioners
A 20-minute foot reflexology session applied 2-3 hours post-cesarean may help reduce first voiding time, offering potential clinical value in postoperative nursing care protocols.
Study Design: how this randomised trial was run
Common questions about this study
What does this study mean in practice?
A single reflexology session may help speed up urination after cesarean delivery, though this finding is based on one moderate-sized study and should be discussed with your healthcare provider.
What did this study find?
Foot reflexology was administered as a single 20-minute session 2-3 hours after elective cesarean section to evaluate its effect on time to first voiding. The study included 61 pregnant women randomly assigned to either a treatment group receiving foot reflexology or a control group without the intervention. The research focused on reducing urinary retention complications in the immediate post-delivery period by testing foot reflexology as a complementary medicine intervention.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a randomised trial and we rate its evidence moderate. It covers 61 participants. It was published in Journal of education and health promotion, a Q2 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.
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