The Effect of Acupressure in Improving Constipation Among Inpatients in Neurology Departments

Taiwan Taichung Veterans General Hospital

As a form of non-invasive auxiliary care, Traditional Chinese Medicine acupressure can prevent constipation, reduce medication for constipation, save medical costs, and alleviate constipation among inpatients in neurology departments, as well as improve patients' general ease and comfort of defecation, thereby improving their quality of life. It also provides clinical nursing staff with a more effective, safer, and more comfortable auxiliary method of preventing constipation, and can be used as a reference for the nursing of such patients.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Constipation
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: routine nursing and fake acupressure; Procedure: Acupressure

Detailed Description

Background: Constipation is a common problem among geriatric patients and in neurology departments. However, using stool softeners and enemas yield only temporary effects and may even lead to alternating constipation, diarrhea, and metabolic disorders. Because of its non-invasive nature, Acupressure can be used as adjuvant therapy of integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine to prevent constipation among inpatients in neurology departments. It is necessary to verify that Acupressure can be applied to avoid and alleviate patients' constipation, improve their comfort, and improve their quality of life.

Objective: To explore the effect of Acupressure in alleviating constipation among inpatients in neurology departments.Method: A randomized controlled two-group pre-test and post-test experiment design were adopted in this study; neurology department inpatients were randomly assigned to either the experimental group, which comprised 64 subjects receiving Acupressure on three acupoints (Tianshu, ST25: Stomach Meridian 25; Zhongwan CV12: Conception Vessel 12; Qihai CV6: Meridian Vessel 6) or the control group which comprised 64 subjects receiving routine nursing and fake Acupressure. The research tools included the Bristol Stool Form and Constipation Assessment Scale.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 128
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taichung, Taiwan, 40705
    • 1650 Taiwan Boulevard Sect. 4

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age ≥ 20 years old
2. Established diagnosis of stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic acute phase)
3. NIHSS 1-20 points
4. Undiagnosed within three months before admission With intestinal disease and no rectal resection
5. meeting the diagnostic criteria for functional constipation (Rome IV).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Abdominal surgery or abdominal radiotherapy within three months
2. Abdominal cancer including liver, large intestine, lymph, and pelvic cavity, etc.,
3. Massive ascites
4. There are implants in the abdominal cavity, such as V-P Shunt, L-P Shunt, CAPD, etc.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: routine nursing and fake acupressure; control groups: receiving routine nursing and fake acupressure to improve constipation for 7 days during hospitalization.	Procedure: routine nursing and fake acupressure; control groups: receiving routine nursing and fake acupressure to improve constipation for 7 days during hospitalization.
Experimental: acupressure; The patients assigned to the experimental group received acupoint massage designed to improve constipation for 7 days during hospitalization. The selection of acupoints in this study includes "Tianshu (double)" (Tianshu, ST25: Stomach Meridian 25, the 25th point of the stomach meridian), "Zhongwan (single)" (Zhongwan CV12: Conception Vessel 12, the 12th point of the Ren meridian) ), "Qihai Point (Single)" (Qihai CV6: Meridian Vessel 6 Renmai 6th point) 3 points.	Procedure: Acupressure; The patients assigned to the experimental group received acupoint massage designed to improve constipation for 7 days during hospitalization. The selection of acupoints in this study includes "Tianshu (double)" (Tianshu, ST25: Stomach Meridian 25, the 25th point of the stomach meridian), "Zhongwan (single)" (Zhongwan CV12: Conception Vessel 12, the 12th point of the Ren meridian) ), "Qihai Point (Single)" (Qihai CV6: Meridian Vessel 6 Renmai 6th point) 3 points.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The constipation assessment scale scores	Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS), a total of 8 questions, 0 points: no, 1 point: yes, but not severe, 2 points. Very serious, the higher the score (0-16 points), the more severe the constipation symptoms.	Assessment from the first day to the seventh day after treatment
The Bristol Stool Form Scale	bach's alpha of The Bristol Stool Form Scale. Classification: Type 1: hard balls (difficult to pass through), Type 2: sausage-like, but with uneven surface Type 3: sausage-like, but with cracks on the surface, Type 4: like sausage or snake Surface is smooth, type 5: soft lumps with smooth broken edges (easy to pass), type 6: fluffy lumps with rough edges, mushy stool, type 7: watery, no solid lumps (completely liquid), type 1 Types 3 and 2 indicate constipation; Types 3 and 4 are ideal stool shapes, especially Type 4 is the easiest to defecate; Types 5 to 7 are likely to have diarrhea	Assessment from the first day to the seventh day after treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Taichung Veterans General Hospital
• Investigators: Study Chair: Hsiao-Chi Nieh, MSC, Head Nurse

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Abbasi P, Mojalli M, Kianmehr M, Zamani S. Effect of acupressure on constipation in patients undergoing hemodialysis: A randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2019 Jan-Feb;9(1):84-91.
• Bharucha AE, Lacy BE. Mechanisms, Evaluation, and Management of Chronic Constipation. Gastroenterology. 2020 Apr;158(5):1232-1249.e3. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.12.034. Epub 2020 Jan 13.
• Birimoglu Okuyan C, Bilgili N. Effect of abdominal massage on constipation and quality of life in older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2019 Dec;47:102219. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2019.102219. Epub 2019 Oct 16.
• Chen MC, Yang LY, Chen KM, Hsu HF. Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Using Acupressure to Promote the Health of Older Adults. J Appl Gerontol. 2020 Oct;39(10):1144-1152. doi: 10.1177/0733464819870027. Epub 2019 Aug 19.
• Chumpitazi BP, Self MM, Czyzewski DI, Cejka S, Swank PR, Shulman RJ. Bristol Stool Form Scale reliability and agreement decreases when determining Rome III stool form designations. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2016 Mar;28(3):443-8. doi: 10.1111/nmo.12738. Epub 2015 Dec 21.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 11, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 24, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): October 24, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 25, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 4, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): November 10, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 9, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 7, 2023
• Last Verified: May 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: acupressure, constipation,
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Constipation
• Other Study ID Numbers: CF20208B

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No