Denise Shuk Ting Cheung1, Wing Fai Yeung2, Pui Hing Chau1, Tai Chung Lam3, Mingxiao Yang4, Kithelia Lai5, Chun Yat Ip5, Lixing Lao4,6, Chia-Chin Lin1,7,8. 1. School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. 2. School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China. 3. Department of Clinical Oncology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. 4. School of Chinese Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. 5. Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China. 6. Virginia University of Integrative Medicine, Virginia, United States. 7. Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Charity Foundation Professor in Nursing, Hong Kong, China. 8. School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility and potential effects of patient-centred self-administered acupressure for alleviating fatigue and co-occurring symptoms among Chinese advanced cancer patients receiving treatment. METHODS: Thirty advanced cancer patients who screened positive for moderate/severe fatigue with symptoms of insomnia and/or pain were recruited from a hospital in Hong Kong. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive a 4-week patient-centred self-administered acupressure intervention or health education. Fatigue (primary outcome) and secondary outcomes (sleep quality, pain, fatigue-sleep disturbance-pain symptom cluster severity, anxiety, depression and quality of life) were measured by questionnaires and actigraphy. RESULTS: Twenty-four participants (80%) completed the study. Adherence to self-administered acupressure practice was satisfactory, with all retained participants attending all sessions and 90.9% practising acupressure daily. All completers rated the class as very enjoyable or quite enjoyable. Fatigue, pain, symptom cluster severity, anxiety, depression and quality of life appeared to improve from baseline to post-intervention in the intervention group. Among these outcomes, only the between-group difference in anxiety post-intervention was significant. The group × time interaction effect was nonsignificant for all outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-centred self-administered acupressure appears to be feasible and acceptable among advanced cancer patients. A fully powered trial is warranted to confirm the intervention effect.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility and potential effects of patient-centred self-administered acupressure for alleviating fatigue and co-occurring symptoms among Chinese advanced cancer patients receiving treatment. METHODS: Thirty advanced cancer patients who screened positive for moderate/severe fatigue with symptoms of insomnia and/or pain were recruited from a hospital in Hong Kong. They were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive a 4-week patient-centred self-administered acupressure intervention or health education. Fatigue (primary outcome) and secondary outcomes (sleep quality, pain, fatigue-sleep disturbance-pain symptom cluster severity, anxiety, depression and quality of life) were measured by questionnaires and actigraphy. RESULTS: Twenty-four participants (80%) completed the study. Adherence to self-administered acupressure practice was satisfactory, with all retained participants attending all sessions and 90.9% practising acupressure daily. All completers rated the class as very enjoyable or quite enjoyable. Fatigue, pain, symptom cluster severity, anxiety, depression and quality of life appeared to improve from baseline to post-intervention in the intervention group. Among these outcomes, only the between-group difference in anxiety post-intervention was significant. The group × time interaction effect was nonsignificant for all outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-centred self-administered acupressure appears to be feasible and acceptable among advanced cancer patients. A fully powered trial is warranted to confirm the intervention effect.