Advances in Nursing & Midwifery

Abstract

Abstract

Background and aim

Vomiting as a side effect of chemotherapy causes to refuse or delay in treatment by most cases. Nowadays,

for controlling these side effects researchers attempt to use noninvasive-, safe- and low cost methods, instead

of expensive drugs with various side effects. This study aimed to assess effect of reflexotherapy on vomiting

reduction among patients under chemotherapy, in oncology-hematology ward of Zahedan's Ali Ebn Abitaleb

Hospital in 2010.

Materials and Methods

This study was a before and after clinical trial (pre-test and post-test) with a group of 37 patients. The

participants were selected using purposeful sampling method and based on the results of a pilot study. They

were also considered once in the control group (receiving anti-vomiting drug Granisetron) and after 15 to 20

days in the interventional group (receiving reflexotherapy in a period of 10 minutes for each leg). The

Summary of Morrow Questionnaire and CTCv

2.0

Y/WX

Findings

The mean age of samples was 44.73 ±13.38 (years). Majority of participants were married and women.

Patients were in their second to 15th cycle of chemotherapy; receiving Cisplatin–Gemzar or Adriamycincyclophosphamide

and were from breast cancer cases. Assessment of severity of vomiting during first 24

hours showed more sever vomiting in the first 4 hours among control group than interventional group

(p<0.001), but it was more severe in interventional gropup than control group in third 4 hours (p<0.001) and

the second 12 hours (p=0.006). During the second 4 hours, severity of vomiting was not significantly

different between the two Groups (p=0.313). Finnally, the results showed no significant difference between

two treatment methods respecting their effect on severity (p=0.153) and the number of vomiting (p=0.239)

during the 24 hours after treatment.

Conclusion

Although reflexotherapy was not shown to have positive effect on chemotherapy induced vomiting of

patients but it caused to reduce severity and number of vomiting in the first 4 hours after chemotherapy

among patients with moderate and sever vomiting. Therefore, experimental study using reflexotherapy is

recommended in multiple sessions.

Key words:

Chemotherapy, Vomiting, Reflexotherapy.

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) was confirmed beforehand. Data was

analyzed using central and dispersion indexes as well as Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests and Marginal

modeling (generalized estimating equations GEE).

(Common Toxicity Criteria Version 2) of National Cancer

Institute of America were used for making a questionnaire to data collection. Face and content validity of

questionnaire and its reliability (Chronbach alpha Coefficient =