The Effect of Hand Massage Before Cataract Surgery on Patient Anxiety and Comfort: A Randomized Controlled Study

• Published in: Journal of perianesthesia nursing Vol. 35; no. 1; pp. 54 - 59
• Main Authors: Çavdar, Ayşe Uyar, Yılmaz, Emel, Baydur, Hakan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2020
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; anxiety; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety - therapy; Cataract; Cataract Extraction - methods; cataract surgery; Female; Hand; hand massage; Humans; Male; Massage - methods; Massage - psychology; Massage - standards; Middle Aged; Nursing; Pain Measurement; patient comfort; Patient Comfort - methods; Patient Comfort - standards; Patient Comfort - statistics & numerical data; hand massage; anxiety; cataract surgery; patient comfort
• ISSN: 1089-9472; 1532-8473
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jopan.2019.06.012

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of hand massage on patient anxiety and comfort before cataract surgery. A randomized controlled trial. The 140 patients in this study were assigned to the intervention group (n = 70), which received a 10-minute hand massage before cataract surgery, and to the control group (n = 70), which received routine nursing care. The visual analog scale (VAS) and Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were used to collect data. The median STAI state scores of the intervention and control groups were found to be 46.0 (44.7 to 48.0) and 57.0 (55.75 to 59.00), respectively. The VAS comfort score of the intervention group after hand massage (4.0 [1.7-5.0]) was lower than that of the control group immediately before surgery (8.0 [6.0-10.0]) (P < .05). In addition, except oxygen saturation, the remaining vital signs were lower in the intervention group. Hand massage reduced the anxiety of patients, positively affected their vital signs, and increased their comfort.