The effect of acupressure on pain, anxiety, and the physiological indexes of patients with cancer undergoing bone marrow biopsy.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of acupressure on pain intensity, anxiety, and physiological indexes of patients with cancer undergoing bone marrow biopsy and aspiration.

Methods: The study was designed as a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial. Ninety samples was selected using the convenience sampling method, then for allocation groups random block sampling was used (30 for each group). The three groups were similar by age and gender. LI4 and HT7 (Shen Men) acupressure points were examined for the intervention. Sham pressure was used in the placebo group while no intervention was applied in the control group.

Results: The results showed that the lowest average anxiety score (1.5 ± 0.5; P = 0.01) and the lowest average pain score (4.9 ± 0.8) after the intervention were related to the acupressure method (P = 0.001).

Conclusion: Cost effectiveness and short-term simple education make acupressure method useful in clinical settings for different illnesses.