The effect of foot reflexology applied to neonates before oro/nasopharyngeal suctioning on procedural pain and comfort in the neonatal intensive care unit

Abstract

Introduction and aim. This study was performed to examine the effect of foot reflexology applied to the neonates on the level of pain and discomfort developed due to suctioning procedure. Material and methods. The study was conducted experimentally by taking pretest and repeated measurements on reflexology and control groups determined by simple randomization. The study was carried out with 66 neonates (reflexology applied: 33 and control group: 33). Neonatal Information Form, Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS) and Newborn Comfort Behavior Scale (NCBS) were used as the data collection tools. Results. The during (p<0.001) and after suctioning (p<0.001), the NIPS scores of the neonates in the intervention group was statistically lower than the control group. The NCBS scores of the neonates in the intervention group during (p<0.001), and after suctioning (p<0.001), were statistically significantly lower than the control group. Conclusion. It was concluded that foot reflexology applied to neonates was effective both in reducing pain during and after the suctioning and in increasing comfort during and after the suctioning.