The Effect of Hand Massage on Discomfort in Patients Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Purpose: This study assessed the effectiveness of hand massage on reducing discomfort of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI). Methods: The sample consisted of 62 patients admitted to an university affiliated hospital. The 30 patients in experimental group received hand massage developed by Snyder(1995) for 5 minutes on both hands and 32 patients in control group received the usual nursing intervention only. The outcome variable of discomfort was measured 10 minutes before and after the hand massage using Questionnaire and VAS. The data were collected from Feb. 5th to May 17th in 2007, and analysed through Chi-square, and t-test with SPSS WIN 12.0. Results: The level of discomfort measured with the questionnaire was decreased in experimental group, but increased in control group. This discomfort changes in two groups were significantly different(t=4.43, p<.001). The level of discomfort measured with VAS was also decreased in experimental group, but increased in control group. The changes were significant, too(t=5.62, p<.001). Conclusion: It was clear that hand massage could b