Yun Yi Bang1, Hyojung Park2. 1. Department of Nursing, KyungBok University, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: yybang@kbu.ac.kr. 2. College of Nursing, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: hyojungp@ewha.ac.kr.
Abstract
AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure (AA), a non-invasive type of reflexotherapy, on sleep quality and anxiety in patients after cardiac surgery. BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances and anxiety hinder the recovery of patients after cardiac surgery; thus, appropriate and adequate nursing interventions must be pursued. AA is a complementary therapy suitable for patients with limited pharmacological therapy options. METHOD: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest control group design was applied. The study consisted of 42 patients, comprising an experimental group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 21). AA was applied for six days per trial for a total of 2 trials, while sleep (sleep score, sleep satisfaction) and anxiety (state, trait) were measured at three time points (pre-op, 7 days post-op, and 14 days post-op). RESULTS: The sleep and sleep satisfaction scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. No significant difference was found in anxiety state/trait between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that AA is a safe, effective, noninvasive, and low-risk nursing intervention that can improve sleep quality in patients after cardiac surgery.
RCT Entities:
AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure (AA), a non-invasive type of reflexotherapy, on sleep quality and anxiety in patients after cardiac surgery. BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances and anxiety hinder the recovery of patients after cardiac surgery; thus, appropriate and adequate nursing interventions must be pursued. AA is a complementary therapy suitable for patients with limited pharmacological therapy options. METHOD: A single-blind, randomized controlled trial with a pretest-posttest control group design was applied. The study consisted of 42 patients, comprising an experimental group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 21). AA was applied for six days per trial for a total of 2 trials, while sleep (sleep score, sleep satisfaction) and anxiety (state, trait) were measured at three time points (pre-op, 7 days post-op, and 14 days post-op). RESULTS: The sleep and sleep satisfaction scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group. No significant difference was found in anxiety state/trait between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that AA is a safe, effective, noninvasive, and low-risk nursing intervention that can improve sleep quality in patients after cardiac surgery.