The effects of reflexology on anxiety and pain in patients after abdominal hysterectomy: A randomised controlled trial

Objectives: This study aimed at finding out the effects of reflexology on pain, anxiety levels after abdominal hysterectomy. Desing & methods: The study was performed on women hospitalized in the intensive care unit and gynecology services of Ege University Hospital in Izmir after abdominal hysterectomy between September 2013 and September 2014. This study was designed and conducted as a randomized controlled trial. The study sample consisted of 63 female patients: 32 in the experimental group and 31 in the control group. The postoperative daily monitoring sheet, Spielberger State Anxiety Inventory (SAI), was employed to collect research data and "visual analog scale" to evaluate pain levels. Results: The female patients' average age was found to be 47.23 +/- 4.71. The three-day monitoring showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of average pain levels and anxiety scores after reflexology (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Foot reflexology may serve as an effective nursing intervention to increase the well-being and decrease the pain of female patients after abdominal hysterectomy, and nurses should be aware of the benefits of reflexology.