Effect of Acupressure on Pain and Sleep Quality of Patients with Cancer after Undergoing Surgery Admitted to the Intensive Care Unit: A Single‑blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background: Pain and sleep disturbances are among the most common symptoms and complications in cancer patients. This study aims to evaluate the effect of acupressure at the LI4 and SP6 points on pain and sleep quality in cancer patients after surgery. Materials and Methods: In this single‑blind randomized clinical trial, cancer patients admitted to the intensive care unit at the Cancer Institute of Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2022, following surgery, were divided into two equal groups of 39: an intervention group and a control group. On the second and third days after surgery, in the morning and evening, acupressure was applied bilaterally at the LI4 (hand) and SP6 (foot) points, in the experimental group. In the control group, surface touch was applied to the same points. Patients’ pain was assessed using the visual analog scale of pain, and sleep quality was measured using the Richard‑Campbell Sleep Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the two‑way repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Statistical analysis showed that the interaction effect of group and time was statistically significant (p < 0.001), indicating that pain reduction was significantly greater in the experimental group compared to the control patients. A paired t‑test demonstrated a significant increase in sleep quality after the acupressure intervention in the experimental group (p < 0.001), whereas no significant change was observed in the control group (p = 0.124). Conclusions: Acupressure was found to effectively reduce pain and improve sleep quality in cancer patients after surgery