Effect of Foot Massage on Physiological Indicators, Fatigue, and Pain among Children undergoing Chemotherapy

Abstract

Background: Foot massage appears to be effective, affordable, adaptable, and simple to use. Foot massage appears to be effective in reducing pain, fatigue, improving physiological indicators and sleep patterns among children undergoing chemotherapy. Aim: To determine the effect of foot massage on physiological indicators, fatigue, and pain among children undergoing chemotherapy. Subjects and Methods: Design: A quasi-experimental design was used to conduct this study. Setting: The study was conducted at Oncology Institution in Sohag City and Pediatric Oncology Department at Sohag University Hospital. Subject: A purposive sampling technique was used to choose a sample of 100 children undergoing chemotherapy who were assigned into two groups, with 50 children undergoing chemotherapy in each group (the intervention and control groups). Tools: Three tools were used for data collection (I) a structured interview questionnaire, (II) a fatigue assessment scale, and (III) an OUCHER pain measurement tool. Results: The current study revealed that the majority of children in the intervention group experienced mild pain with (p = 0.002) and improving physiological indicators [blood pressure (p = 0.002) and heart rate (p = 0.003). Additionally, there were highly statistically significant differences regarding the scores of fatigues and pain in the intervention group as compared to the control group pain with (P= <0.05). Conclusion: Foot massage was effective in improving physiological indicators and reducing fatigue levels and pain among children undergoing chemotherapy. Recommendations: Foot reflexology could be used as a complementary treatment along with conventional therapies among children undergoing chemotherapy as a simple and applicable strategy to improve physiological indicators and reduce fatigue and pain levels.