Effectiveness of Breathing Exercises, Foot Reflexology and Massage (BRM) on Maternal and Newborn Outcomes Among Primigravidae in Saudi Arabia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Effect of three modalities on emergence agitation among post-traumatic stress disorder patients undergoing laparoscopy: a randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Emergence agitation (EA) after general anesthesia is common in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Due to the recent worldwide events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and wars, PTSD is not rare. Accordingly, a reliable, cost-effective anesthetic protocol to lower the incidence of EA is crucial. Therefore, we aimed to compare three different interventions for avoiding EA in PTSD patients undergoing gynecological laparoscopic surgery. Participants were divided into four groups: 1: performing pre-operative relaxation techniques (deep breathing exercise and progressive muscle relaxation [PMR]); 2: administrating intra-operative Ketamine; 3: applying both previously mentioned strategies and 4 as controls.

METHODS

This study was carried out on 144 adult women scheduled for gynecological laparoscopy, randomly allocated into four groups: three intervention groups and a control group (36 each). Women aged 18-45 years old, with a diagnosis of PTSD were included in the study. Patients with a positive history of major neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, or renal disease were excluded. Any patient who reported the use of psychiatric drugs were also excluded from the study. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software version 26. Kolmogorov- Smirnov was used to verify the normality of the distribution of variables. Odds ratio was calculated to clarify the strength and direction of the association between intervention groups and control. Data was deemed significant at a p-value ≤0.05.

RESULTS

Heart rate (HR) and Mean Arterial Blood Pressure (MABP) intra-operative and post-operative till 24 hours were significantly lower in groups 1, 2, and 3 compared to group 4 (p<0.001). There was a significant statistical difference in the intraoperative HR percentage decrease. MABP percentage decrease post-operative was higher in all the intervention groups with no statistically significant difference, except for group 1 compared to group 4, which was statistically significant (12.28 ± 11.77 and 6.10 ± 7.24, p=0.025). Visual Analogue Scale measurements were significantly less in the intervention groups 1, 2, and 3 compared to group 4. On Riker sedation-agitation scores, group 1 was 85 times more likely to be non-agitated (85 (15.938 - 453.307), p<0.001), group 2 was 175 times more likely to be non-agitated (175 (19.932-1536.448), p<0.001) and group 3 was protected against agitation.

CONCLUSION

Pre-operative relaxation techniques (breathing exercises and PMR) significantly lowered HR, MABP, VAS score, and EA than controls. These effects were not significantly different from intra-operative ketamine injection or the combination of both (relaxation techniques and ketamine). We recommend routine pre-operative screening for PTSD and the application of relaxation techniques (breathing exercises and PMR) in the pre-operative preparation protocol of PTSD-positive cases as well as routine practical application of preoperative relaxation techniques. Further studies on using pre-operative relaxation techniques in general could be cost-effective.

Effects of foot reflexology massage on pregnant women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies

To explore the effects of foot reflexology massage on anxiety, pain, duration of labor, labor satisfaction, blood pressure, pulse rate and respiratory rate in pregnant women. We systematically searched eight databases for randomized controlled studies on the effects of foot reflexology massage on pregnant women. The inclusion criteria were as follow: participants were pregnant woman; the intervention is foot reflexology or foot massage; the control intervention is placebo, usual care, or no intervention; outcome indicators included pain, anxiety, birth satisfaction, duration of labor, blood pressure, pulse, and respiration; and study type was randomized controlled study. Studies that did not meet the above requirements were excluded. We assessed the quality of the included studies using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale, the risk of bias using the Risk of Bias 2.0 tool, and the level of evidence for the outcomes using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation. We used Review Manager 5.3 for data analysis and generated funnel plots to assess publication bias. In addition, sensitivity analysis was used to test the stability of the results. A total of 13 randomized controlled studies with 1189 participants were included in this study. Compared to the control group, foot reflexology massage reduced anxiety and pain in pregnant women, shortened the three stages of labor, and increased birth satisfaction. In addition, it also reduced the pulse rate and respiratory rate of pregnant women, but not for blood pressure. Foot reflexology massage can significantly reduce anxiety and pain, shorten the duration of labor, increase birth satisfaction, and stabilize vital signs in pregnant women. It is a safe and non-invasive form of complementary therapy.PROSPERO registered number: CRD42022359641. URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=359641 .

The Effects of Music-Based Interventions for Pain and Anxiety Management during Vaginal Labour and Caesarean Delivery: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis of Randomised Controlled Trials

Music-based interventions are not physically invasive, they usually have minimal side effects, and they are increasingly being implemented during the birthing process for pain and anxiety relief. The aim of this systematic review is to summarise and evaluate published, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of music-based interventions for pain and anxiety management during vaginal labour and caesarean delivery. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of the literature was conducted using: PsychInfo (Ovid), PubMed, and Web of Science. Studies were included in the review if they were RCTs that assessed the effects of music on pain and anxiety during vaginal and caesarean delivery by human mothers. A narrative synthesis was conducted on 28 identified studies with a total of 2835 participants. Most, but not all, of the included studies assessing music-based interventions resulted in reduced anxiety and pain during vaginal and caesarean delivery. Music as part of a comprehensive treatment strategy, participant-selected music, music coupled with another therapy, and relaxing/instrumental music was specifically useful for reducing light to moderate pain and anxiety. Music-based interventions show promising effects in mitigating pain and anxiety in women during labour. However, the long-term effects of these interventions are unclear.

Non-Pharmacological Pain Management in Labor: A Systematic Review

Childbirth is a remarkable, life-changing process and is frequently regarded as an excruciating, physically and emotionally demanding experience that women endure. Labor pain management poses a significant challenge for obstetricians and expectant mothers. Although pharmacological pain management is the gold standard, it still imposes risks on the mother and baby. Recently, non-pharmacological pain management (NPPM) has emerged as a safe, effective option. Six databases were searched for articles published up to 2023 using specific related keywords and defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The extraction and gathering of data was made so as to be categorized into physical, psychological, and complementary NPPM techniques. In light of the enormous development and diversity of NPPM techniques, the present review aims to examine contemporary NPPM knowledge and application, discussing efficacy, advantages, limitations, and potential adverse effects, with a specific focus on women's individual requirements, to strengthen obstetricians' knowledge in guiding decision-making for women in childbirth.

The effectiveness of auricular acupressure on pain management during labor: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

AIM

This meta-analysis aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of auricular acupressure on pain management during labor.

METHODS

Six English and three Chinese electronic databases were comprehensively searched from inception to 6 November 2021. The PRISMA checklist was followed. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed with the Cochrane Collaboration Bias Risk Assessment Tool. The meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3 software. Heterogeneity between studies was calculated using I² .

RESULTS

Five studies comprising 312 participants were included. The labor pain scores of the auricular acupressure group were significantly lower than those of the usual care group at cervix dilations of 6, 8, and 10 cm, with mean differences (95% confidence intervals) of -1.05 (-1.41, -0.69), -1.44 (-2.07, -0.82), and -1.96 (-3.30, -0.61), respectively. Auricular acupressure can thus effectively improve the labor pain perception at cervix dilations of 6, 8, and 10 cm. Moreover, auricular acupressure shortened the active phase, and had the trend of shortening the second and third stages of labor. There was no evidence that auricular acupressure had an effect on the rate of cesarean section or the 1 and 5 min Apgar scores.

CONCLUSION

Effective labor pain relief, better labor pain perception, and the lack of adverse effects support the use of auricular acupressure. More high-quality and rigorous trials are needed to verify our findings before we can make strong recommendations.

The most appropriate cervical dilatation for massage to reduce labor pain and anxiety: a randomized clinical trial

Background

Managing labor pain by performing massage is one of the useful strategies to reduce the rate of cesarean section and increase the tendency of women for pregnancy. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the best time for massage therapy to reduce the labor pain and anxiety. In this regard, the present study was conducted to determine the cervical dilatation appropriate for performing massage in order to reduce the labor pain and anxiety.

Methods

This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 60 nulliparous pregnant women. Eligible participants with active phase of labor were divided randomly into two groups. The intervention group received the massage three times in of dilatation 5–7–9 cm for 20 min each time by same person without the use of oil in the LDR, based on Kimber massage instructions. In the control group, all routine care was performed except massage. Pain intensity was assessed using pain ruler. Demographic and anxiety data were collected through questionnaires.

Results

The difference between the mean pains in the studied groups was significant in 7 cm (p < 0.0001) of cervical dilatation but was not significant in 5 cm (p = 0.084) and 9 cm (p = 0.591) dilatation. Massage effectively decreased pain intensity. The mean maternal anxiety was not significant at the beginning of the study, but was significant after performing massage (p < 0.0001) and anxiety score in the massage group decreased from 63.36 ± 5.28 (severe anxiety) at the beginning to 42.60 ± 5.83 (moderate anxiety) at the end of the study. In the control group, it increased from 66.33 ± 7.66 to 67.1 ± 5.65.

Conclusion

The appropriate dilatation of cervix for massage in order to reduce labor pain was observed in 7 cm. Also, massage had a significant effect on reducing anxiety. Therefore, massage is recommended as a routine care in 7 cm cervical dilatations.

Trial registration

This trial was registered with the Iran Trial Center (trial ID: IRCT20140118016255N5). https://en.irct.ir/trial/28120

The Role of Midwives in the Course of Natural Childbirth-Analysis of Sociodemographic and Psychosocial Factors-A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

An important role in the course of natural childbirth is played by midwives, who should effectively work on relieving pain. This study aims to present the opinions of midwives on non-pharmacological methods of relieving labor pain; the frequency of their use and reasons for their abandonment; and the relationship between the use of non-pharmacological methods of relieving labor pain and perceived job satisfaction, burnout, and self-efficacy of the midwife.

METHODS

The study was conducted online, with the participation of 135 Polish midwives working in the delivery room. The author's survey questionnaire, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the LBQ Burnout Questionnaire, and the Scale of Job Satisfaction were used.

RESULTS

Among the surveyed midwives, 77% use vertical positions in work with a patient giving birth. Almost all respondents consider vertical positions as an example of a non-pharmacological method of relieving labor pain; those with master's degree felt more prepared for their use (p = 0.02). The most common reason for abandoning their use was disagreement on the part of co-workers (p = 0.005). An association was observed between the use of vertical positions and the level of burnout (p = 0.001) and a significant correlation between preparation for their use and self-efficacy assessment, burnout, and job satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Our research shows that it would be important to conduct additional training on the use of non-pharmacological methods to relieve labor pain and to present their benefits. In contrast to other research results, our results showed that midwives feel well prepared to use these methods; however, similar to other research, we found that they often feel disagreement from colleagues and a lack of support from their leaders. The use of vertical positions is related to burnout.

The effectiveness of skilled breathing and relaxation techniques during antenatal education on maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review

Background

Several studies have investigated the relationship between antenatal education classes and pregnancy outcomes. These studies have shown positive effects on mothers, such as a lower epidural rate in the intervention groups. However, until now, the impact on outcomes for mothers and newborns of antenatal education classes that focus on breathing and relaxation techniques has not been examined.

Aim

Investigate the effects of skilled breathing and relaxation techniques provided in antenatal education classes on maternal and neonatal birth outcomes.

Methods

The protocol for this study was registered with PROSPERO (ID: CRD42020192289). A systematic literature search was undertaken and completed in January 2022, using the databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, clinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Library, Embase and MIDIRS according to a priori formulated PICO criteria: population (pregnant women), intervention (antenatal education classes with integrated breathing and relaxation techniques), comparison (antenatal education classes that do not include skilled breathing and relaxation techniques), and outcome (maternal and neonatal outcomes). The quality of the studies was assessed by two reviewers using the standardised instruments RoB 2 and ROBINS-I.

Results

Ten studies were included in this review, nine randomised controlled trials and one quasi-experimental study. The results indicate that skilled breathing and relaxation techniques may positively influence self-efficacy, the need for pharmacological support, specifically the use of epidural anaesthesia, and the memory of labour pain. No effects were found in relation to predefined neonatal outcomes. The quality of evidence on maternal and neonatal outcomes is inconsistent across studies, as different antenatal education classes with varying interventions, including breathing and relaxation techniques, were offered in the studies.

Conclusions

Women who attended an antenatal education class with breathing and relaxation techniques appear to benefit from the intervention. This applies to the practical implementation and use of breathing and relaxation techniques during labour, increased self-confidence and self-efficacy, and a increased feeling of being in control during labour. This demonstrates the importance of information provision and a focus on breathing and relaxation techniques in antenatal education.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12884-022-05178-w.