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The effects of foot reflexology on symptoms of discomfort in palliative care: a feasibility study

Authors :
Marie Lavarelo Marcolin
Andréa Tarot
Véronique Lombardo
Bruno Pereira
Axelle Van Lander
Virginie Guastella
Centre de Soins Palliatifs [CHU Clermont-Ferrand] (CSP)
CHU Louise Michel [Clermont-Ferrand]
CHU Clermont-Ferrand-CHU Clermont-Ferrand
AutomédiCation aCcompagnement Pluriprofessionnel PatienT (ACCePPT)
Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA)
Unité de Biostatistiques [CHU Clermont-Ferrand]
Direction de la recherche clinique et de l’innovation [CHU Clermont-Ferrand] (DRCI)
Neuro-Dol (Neuro-Dol)
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA)
Source :
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2023, 23, pp.66. ⟨10.1186/s12906-023-03873-5⟩
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
HAL CCSD, 2023.

Abstract

Background In palliative care, the relief of discomfort is sought by an overall approach, combining prescribed medication and additional therapies, such as foot reflexology (FR). The main objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of FR in a population of inpatients in a palliative care unit (PCU).The precariousness of the patients led us to perform a feasibility study and not a cohort study from the outset. Its secondary objective was to assess the impact of an FR session on some symptoms of discomfort (anxiety, pain, troubled sleep, and psychological distress). Methods This is a feasibility study designed as a randomized controlled two-arm therapeutic trial. One arm tested FR, the other an active control, massage therapy (MT). The evaluators were blinded. Results FR was feasible for 14 patients out of the 15 included in the FR group (95% CI [68%; 100%]). These patients were in the palliative care phase of cancer, motor neuron disease, or terminal organ failure. Concerning the symptoms of discomfort, ESAS sleep quality score was on average 3.9 (± 2.5) before a session in the FR group. It was improved to an average of 3 (± 2.3) on the day after the session (effect-size = 0.38 [0.03; 0.73]). Conclusion This study confirms the feasibility of an FR session for patients hospitalized in a PCU. It resulted in a slight improvement in sleep quality. For other discomfort symptoms such as anxiety, pain and distress, FR yielded a non-significant improvement. Significant results would have needed a larger cohort.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
26627671
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 2023, 23, pp.66. ⟨10.1186/s12906-023-03873-5⟩
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....783427e1343d6ded12f232030bf366d6
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-023-03873-5⟩