The Effect of Shiatsu Massage on Agitation in Mechanically Ventilated Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial Publisher Pubmed



Harorani M^{1, 2} ; Garshasbi M³ ; Sediqi M³ ; Farahani Z¹ ; Habibi D⁴ ; Farahani M³ ; Amini N⁵ ; Velashjerdi Z⁶ Show Affiliations
Source: Heart and Lung Published:2021

Abstract

Background: Patients admitted to the intensive care units encounter many complications due to the nature of the disease and invasive medical procedures such as intubation and mechanical ventilation. Among these complications, agitation is a frequently-observed and serious problem. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Shiatsu massage on agitation in mechanically ventilated patients. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, a total of 68 mechanically ventilated patients were selected and then randomly assigned to two groups of intervention and control. Patients in the intervention group received three 5-minute periods of Shiatsu massage with a 2-minute break between them, while patients in the control group only received a touch on the area considered for the message. Data were collected before and after the intervention using the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) and then analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA). Results: The results showed that the level of agitation significantly decreased in the intervention group compared to the control group (p=.001). Conclusion: Application of shiatsu massage seems to be effective in managing agitation in mechanically ventilated patients. Further studies with greater sample size and longer follow-up period are needed to confirm the current findings. © 2021 Elsevier Inc.