Impact of Foot Reflexology Technique on Pain intensity, Sleep Quality, and Fatigue among Children undergoing Surgical Procedures

Abd-Elaziz Mohamed, Eman; Saber Mohamed Ismail, Maysa; Mohamed Ahmed, Manal; Ibrahim Eldemery, Nagwa

doi:10.21608/ejhc.2022.272202

Impact of Foot Reflexology Technique on Pain intensity, Sleep Quality, and Fatigue among Children undergoing Surgical Procedures

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, South Valley University

² Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Damanhour University, Egypt

³ Assistant Professor of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Sohag University, Egypt

⁴ Lecturer of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Egypt

10.21608/ejhc.2022.272202

Abstract

Background: Pain was experienced by children undergoing surgery, low sleep quality, and Fatigue. Foot reflexology appears to be useful in reducing Pain intensity, sleep quality, and Fatigue, among Children undergoing surgical procedures as a complementary care that is becoming widely accepted and popular. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of foot reflexology technique on pain intensity, sleep quality, and fatigue among children undergoing surgical procedures. Design: A quasi-experimental research design was used to conduct this study. Setting: The study was carried out at the Pediatric Surgical Department at Sohag University Hospital. Subjects and method: The study included a purposive sample of 200 children undergoing surgical procedures from 6- to 12 years who were equally divided into two groups, the first was the control group and the second was the experimental group. Tools: Four tools were used to collect data: Tool (1): a structured interviewing questionnaire, Tool (II) A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Tool (III) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Tool (IV) Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue (VAS-F). Results: The present study revealed that three-fifths of children undergoing surgical procedures in the experimental group had mild pain compared to only (7%) in the control group. Moreover, there were highly statistically significant differences in foot reflexology among the studied children undergoing surgical procedures regarding sleep quality and fatigue between the experimental and control groups. Conclusion: Foot reflexology affects reducing Pain intensity, improving sleep quality, and decreasing Fatigue among Children undergoing surgical procedures. Recommendation: Foot reflexology could be applied as a non-pharmacological strategy and complementary therapy along with routine care to manage Pain intensity, sleep quality, and Fatigue among Children undergoing surgical procedures.

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