Context: Acupressure is an ancient Chinese healing art. In this pain-relieving method, the fingers are used to press key acupuncture points on the skin surface that stimulates the body׳s regulatory processes.
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of acupressure at Kun Lun (UB60) and Taixi (K3) points for pain management in preterm infants prior to heel lancing for blood collection.
Design: This was a prospective, randomized controlled study.
Setting: The study setting was the neonatal intensive care unit at Baskent University Hospital in Turkey.
Patients: A total of 32 preterm infants between 28 and 36 weeks׳ gestational age were randomly assigned to one of two groups: an acupressure group (n = 16) or a control group (n = 16).
Intervention: In the acupressure group, immediately before the heel prick, acupressure was applied for three minutes at UB60 and K3 points.
Main outcome measures: A behavioral pain score was determined using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) scale.
Results: There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to gestational age, birth weight, sex, mode of delivery, age at time of procedure, weight at time of procedure, or PIPP score. Mean duration of procedure and mean duration of crying were both shorter in the acupressure group (both P = .001).
Conclusions: Applying acupressure at the BL60 and K3 points before heel lancing was associated with shorter procedural time and shorter duration of crying in preterm infants.
Keywords: Acupressure; heel lancing; preterm infant; procedural pain.
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