The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Patients Undergoing Appendectomy Surgery

The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Pain Intensity, Sleep Quality and Bowel Functions in Patients Undergoing Appendectomy Surgery

Pain is an unpleasant experience that can negatively affect all aspects of the patients life and lead to a decrease in quality of life. Pain can also be encountered as a reason for a surgical intervention. For this reason, it has become one of the most common problems experienced by patients in the postoperative period. Pain management is a universal requirement in health care and is of great importance for patients. If the pain is not managed well in the postoperative period, it may cause some complications in the patient. If pain is controlled, early discharge of the patient, lower healthcare costs and increased patient satisfaction are achieved. In terms of providing effective pain control, it is provided by nurses, who are health professionals, to spend more time with the patient, to lead the patient in pain management and to analyze the results. The aim of the thesis study is to evaluate the effect of foot reflexology on pain intensity, sleep quality and bowel functions in patients who have undergone appendectomy surgery.

Optimal management of postoperative pain is associated with reduced morbidity and faster recovery times, as well as improved physical function and quality of life. Despite efforts to minimize postoperative pain, 61% of outpatients still experience moderate/extreme pain upon discharge. Pain management is an important aspect of patient care, and nurses play an important role in providing pain assessment and treatment in the acute care setting. The use of non-pharmacological pain relief techniques has been found to be effective with fewer side effects and complications. Reflexology, one of the types of complementary and alternative medicine, has begun to be used as a nursing intervention along with modern medicine as a non-pharmacological method. When the investigators look at the past years; The effects of foot reflexology on pain intensity, nausea, anxiety, delirium, and hemodynamic parameters were investigated. The studies conducted include cancer patients, burn patients, intensive care patients and dialysis patients. However, in previous studies, no study was found investigating the effect of foot reflexology on sleep quality and bowel functions in patients undergoing surgical intervention. This study is thought to be the first to evaluate the effect of foot reflexology on sleep quality and bowel functions in surgical patients. In this respect, it is a study that will contribute to the literature.

Inclusion Criteria:

• • 18 years and over,

  • Having undergone appendectomy surgery,
  • No complications such as bleeding, nausea or vomiting after appendectomy surgery,
  • Not using patient-controlled analgesia for postoperative pain control,
  • Pain score ≥4 according to the Visual Analog Scale,
  • No hypertension problems,
  • Able to speak and understand Turkish
  • No visual or auditory problems,
  • No diagnosed psychiatric problems,
  • No diagnosed bowel problems,
  • Do not have infectious skin diseases on their feet (such as zoster, fungus, warts, eczema),
  • Patients who do not have deep vein thrombosis, tombophlebitis, any fracture, neuropathy, osteomyelitis, osteoporosis, or ligament injury in their feet or legs,
  • Volunteer patients will be included.

Exclusion Criteria:

• • Complications developed after appendectomy surgery,

  • Pain score <4 according to the Visual Analog Scale,
  • Those with hypertension problems,
  • Unable to communicate,
  • Having visual or auditory problems,
  • Having a diagnosed psychiatric problem,
  • Having a diagnosed bowel problem,
  • Those with infectious skin diseases on their feet (such as zoster, fungus, warts, eczema),
  • Patients with deep vein thrombosis, tombophlebitis, any fracture, neuropathy, osteomyelitis, osteoporosis, ligament injury in the foot and leg,
  • Non-voluntary patients will be excluded from the scope.