Impact of Foot Reflexology on Pain Intensity, Physiological Indicators, and Comfort among Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery

Background : discomfort and pain from abdominal surgery are frequent side effects. Therefore, controlling them is very necessary. Foot reflexology appears to be useful in reducing pain and increasing comfort as a complementary care that is becoming widely accepted and popular. Aim : This study aimed to investigate the impact of foot reflexology on pain intensity, physiological indicators, and comfort among patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Design: A quasi-experimental research design was used to conduct current study. Setting: The study was carried out at the Surgical Department at Mansoura University Hospital. Subjects and method: A purposive sample of 200 patients undergoing abdominal surgery was recruited in this study; the studied patients were assigned into two groups, the study and control groups (with 100 patients in each group). Tools: Three tools were used to collect data: Tool (1): a structured interviewing questionnaire. Tool (II) : Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and Tool (III): Comfort Questionnaire. Results: The present study reported that (25%) of the study group patients had severe pain post intervention compared to (42%) in the control group after intervention. The study group's mean scores on the Comfort Questionnaire were significantly higher than those of the control group. Moreover, there were highly statistically significant differences in foot reflexology among the studied patients regarding pain and comfort scores between the study and control groups. Conclusion : Foot reflexology has a positive effect on pain reduction and increases comfort among patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Recommendation : Foot reflexology could be applied as a non-pharmacological strategy and complementary therapy along with routine care to manage pain and increase comfort among patients undergoing abdominal surgery.