The Effect of Foot Reflexology Massage on Pain Caused by Suction of Mechanically Ventilated Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Units

Airway suctioning is one of the most important nursing interventions in patients under mechanical ventilation.Today, endotracheal suctioning is considered as the most painful experience of patients admitted to special wards.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of foot reflexology massage on pain caused by suction in patients under mechanical ventilation admitted to intensive care units.

This study was performed as a clinical trial on 36 patients (18 experimental patients and 18 control patients) under mechanical ventilation admitted to the intensive care unit. In this study, a simple randomization method was used to place patients in the experimental and intervention groups.To collect information from the demographic questionnaire and CPOT (Critical care pain observation) scale after suction and after the intervention to assess the level of pain in patients. Data were collected in SPSS software version 26 and to analyze the data. Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests were used.

The present study was performed on 36 patients under mechanical ventilation. In the study of demographic variables, there was a significant difference in terms of gender (P=1.000), underlying disease (P=0.603), level of consciousness (P=0.443), smoking (P= 1.000), cause of hospitalization (P=0.558), airway (P=1.000), drug intake (P=1.000) was not seen. In the experimental group, the amount of bad pain from the intervention had decreased (P<0.001) and was statistically significant, but in the control group, the amount of pain after 20 minutes not only did not decrease but also increased (P<0.001) and was statistically significant. It is meaningful.

Due to the effect of reflexology foot massage in reducing the pain caused by suction in patients under mechanical ventilation, the use of this method in intensive care units is recommended.