The Effect of Foot Massage on Pain of the Intensive Care Patients: A Parallel Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Trial

Background and Purpose. Pain is a common stressor in intensive care units (ICUs) with detrimental consequences in case of no treatment. The current study aimed to compare the effect of foot massage by a nurse or the patient's family on pain of the ICU patients. Materials and Methods. This randomized, parallel, single-blind controlled trial study was performed on 75 ICU patients. Patients were allocated into three groups (massage by a nurse, massage by the patient's family, and control group) by the minimization method. Swedish massage was provided for the patients in experimental groups (each foot for 5 minutes) once a day for six days. The pain was examined in all three groups before, immediately, and one week after the intervention. Results. The mean scores of pain in the groups of foot massage by the patient's family and by a nurse showed a significant reduction at the end of the study (from 4.48 to 3.36 and 4.76 to 2.96, respectively). The control group had significantly more pain after the intervention than the family-based massage group and the nurse-based massage group (P<0.05). Although significant difference was found in the mean scores of pain between the massage provided by a nurse and that provided by the patient's family immediately after the intervention (P<0.05), it was not significant one week after the intervention (P>0.05). Conclusion. Using foot massage, by both nurses and family members can reduce the pain of ICU patients. This intervention may improve the nursing care quality with the least cost and complications.