Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Effects of acupressure on menstrual distress and low back pain in dysmenorrheic young adult women: an experimental study.
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of acupressure on menstrual distress and low back pain (LBP) in dysmenorrheic young adult women. In all, 129 female students, who had been experiencing dysmenorrhea with LBP during menstruation and who scored more than 4 points on the visual analog scale for pain, were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group (n = 65) received acupressure massage three times a week for 30 minutes on the sanyinjiao (SP6), ciliao (BL32), and taichong (Liver 3) acupoints. ⋯ During the 12-month follow-up, the experimental group had significantly lower menstrual distress and LBP scores than the control group. Among 65 participants in the experimental group, 53 (82%) reported a moderate to high levels of menstrual distress, 51 (78%) reported moderate to high levels of LBP relief, and 49 (75%) reported moderate to high levels of satisfaction with acupressure. Our findings may serve as a reference for health care professionals and young women to improve self-care during menstruation and help further understand the therapeutic effects of acupressure on menstrual distress and LBP.
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Multicenter Study
Generating and selecting pain indicators for brain-injured critical care patients.
Current pain assessment tools for nonverbal critical care patients may not be appropriate for those with brain injury, as these patients demonstrate specific responses to pain. The aim of this study was to generate and select items that could be used to assess pain in brain-injured patients. A sequential mixed-method design was chosen with three consecutive steps: 1. ⋯ All physiologic items showed little variability and their reliability was low. Based on these results, the number of items was reduced to 23. This study identified items that could be specific to brain-injured patients and found that the variability of physiologic items was poorly assessed by clinicians.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of cyclooxygenase-2-specific inhibitors on postoperative analgesia after major open abdominal surgery.
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-specific medications on postoperative analgesia after major open abdominal surgery. This is was a prospective, randomized controlled, double-blind study conducted on 90 patients who underwent major open abdominal surgery between September 2011 and June 2012, in the General Surgery Department, Jinling Hospital. After written informed consent, patients were prospectively and randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups before surgery, and were scheduled to receive different analgesic drugs according to randomization. ⋯ The group that received intravenous parecoxib for 3 days, and continued oral celecoxib for 4 days had better postoperative analgesia than other groups. COX-2-specific inhibitors are safe and effective in reducing postoperative pain in patients who have undergone major open abdominal surgery. Additionally, sufficient postoperative analgesia, lasting for 1 week, was necessary for patients to obtain satisfactory pain control after major open abdominal surgery.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of Reiki on Post-cesarean Delivery Pain, Anxiety, and Hemodynamic Parameters: A Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Reiki on pain, anxiety, and hemodynamic parameters on postoperative days 1 and 2 in patients who had undergone cesarean delivery. The design of this study was a randomized, controlled clinical trial. The study took place between February and July 2011 in the Obstetrical Unit at Odemis Public Hospital in Izmir, Turkey. ⋯ Results showed that Reiki application reduced the intensity of pain, the value of anxiety, and the breathing rate, as well as the need for and number of analgesics. However, it did not affect blood pressure or pulse rate. Reiki application as a nursing intervention is recommended as a pain and anxiety-relieving method in women after cesarean delivery.
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This study aimed (1) to examine the feasibility of an auricular point acupressure (APA) research protocol in terms of recruitment and for the assessment and management of pain and (2) to examine the potential APA analgesic effects for cancer patients. This study was a repeated-measures one-group design. Participants were recruited from the cancer center follow-up clinic affiliated with a large university hospital in the northeastern United States. ⋯ APA appears to be highly acceptable to patients with cancer-related pain. However, without a placebo control, we cannot draw conclusive evidence for the analgesic effect of APA for cancer patients. A sham group must be added to future studies to differentiate the true effects of APA from the possible psychological effects of the APA treatment.