Anusree, A., Sanatomb, D.E., & Latha, T. (2015). Effectiveness of acupressure on chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting and the functional status among cancer patients receiving cisplatin as radiosensitizer chemotherapy in Kasturba Hospital Manipal. International Journal of Nursing Education, 7, 32–36.
To investigate the effectiveness of acupressure in reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and to analyze the correlation between CINV and functional status
The study began on the second day of chemotherapy. Patients were assigned to experimental and control groups that matched patients on gender and type of chemotherapy regimen. Acupressure was provided by the researcher by applying firm pressure to selected acupressure points for 3 minutes bilaterally in the morning and evening for three days. Both groups received standard antiemetics. Patients were asked to complete study assessment self-reports daily for CINV. Metoclopramide was given as an antiemetic.
Two-group, prospective, post-test study
Over the three-day period, nausea scores were lower in the experimental group (p = 0.002). There was a weak negative correlation between nausea and functional status (p = 0.03).
Acupressure might be helpful in reducing CINV. Because of reporting and design limitations, this study does not provide strong evidence for the effectiveness of acupressure.
This study provided weak evidence that acupressure may be helpful in the management of CINV.