The effect of acupressure and reiki administration after laparoscopic cholecystectomy on the pain and comfort levels of patients

Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as a prospective randomized single-blind clinical trial. Study subjects were adult patients admitted to the General Surgery Clinic of Diyabakır Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital for laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedures. Of those who met the inclusion criteria, 132 patients were selected as the study sample using a basic random sampling method. The sample size was calculated based on G-power analysis. The measurements conducted determined the effect size as 0.4, margin of error as 0.05, confidence interval as 0.95, and power to represent the population as 0.95. Ultimately, 44 patients were selected for each of the three study groups: reiki, acupressure, and control. Data were collected between May 2017 and August 2019 with a Patient Identity Form, Visual Analog Questionary, Perianesthesia Comfort Questionary and General Comfort Questionary. For the acupressure group, points GB 24, GB 34, GB 37, GB 42, LI 2, PC 6, and LI 4 were treated for 28 minutes. For the reiki group, seven chakra points were treated for 28 minutes. No intervention was administered to the control group. The data were assessed with descriptive statistics, chi-square test, paired t-test, one-way analysis of variance, least significant difference and multiple comparison tests, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Of the patients who received reiki or acupressure therapy, pain levels decreased and comfort levels increased. The intergroup difference was significant (p<0.05). Comfort levels of patients in the control group significantly decreased (p<0.05). After intervention, comfort levels of patients in the reiki group were significantly higher than control levels (p<0.05). Conclusion: Administering reiki and acupressure to patients who experienced laparoscopic cholecystectomy decreased their pain and increased their comfort. Keywords: Acupressure, patient, nursing, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, reiki.