The Efficacy of Acupressure for Symptom Management: A Systematic Review

Abstract Context Acupressure is a noninvasive strategy used to manage various symptoms. Objectives The purpose of this article was to review randomized controlled trials that investigated the efficacy of acupressure for the management of symptoms. Methods A literature search was conducted in the Cum...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of pain and symptom management 2011-10, Vol.42 (4), p.589-603
Main Authors: Lee, Eun Jin, PhD, RN, APRN, Frazier, Susan K., PhD, RN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acupressure
Anesthesia & Perioperative Care
Biological and medical sciences
Clinical trials
Dysmenorrhea - therapy
dyspnea
Efficacy
fatigue
Fatigue - therapy
Female
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
nausea
Nausea - therapy
pain
Pain Medicine
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Pneumology
Pregnant women
Randomized controlled trials
Respiratory system : syndromes and miscellaneous diseases
review
Symptoms
Vomiting - therapy
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract Context Acupressure is a noninvasive strategy used to manage various symptoms. Objectives The purpose of this article was to review randomized controlled trials that investigated the efficacy of acupressure for the management of symptoms. Methods A literature search was conducted in the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Medline, and PubMed using the key words acupressure, clinical trial, human, and/or randomized. Randomized clinical trials published between January 1, 2000 and January 31, 2010, which used acupressure as the sole intervention for one group, were included when they were written in English and when there were four or more studies of the efficacy of acupressure for that particular symptom. Results Forty-three studies were included in this review. Investigators in 16 of 23 studies concluded acupressure was effective, primarily for the management of nausea and vomiting in patients during pregnancy and during chemotherapy. Investigators in nine of 10 studies concluded that acupressure was effective for pain in patients with dysmenorrhea, during labor and after trauma. Investigators of four studies concluded that acupressure was effective in the management of dyspnea and investigators in six studies concluded that acupressure was effective in improving fatigue and reducing insomnia in a variety of populations. However, evaluation of the randomized controlled trial reports indicated a significant likelihood of bias. Conclusion Acupressure may be a useful strategy for the management of multiple symptoms in a variety of patient populations, but rigorous trials are needed. Inclusion of acupressure as an intervention may improve patient outcomes.
ISSN:0885-3924
1873-6513
DOI:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2011.01.007