Effect of psychological nursing intervention combined with acupressure on postoperative recovery of women after cesarean section.

Background: Psychological intervention nursing (PIN) has been considered to have a curative effect on cesarean section (CS) postoperative recovery. However, the therapeutic mechanisms remain obscure.

Aim: To explore the effects of PIN combined with acupressure massage on CS postoperative recovery.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 150 pregnant women admitted to an obstetrics department between January 2020 and January 2023. The control group (CG) received acupressure therapy ( = 73), and the intervention group (IG) received acupressure therapy and PIN therapy ( = 77). Postoperative recovery time was assessed by anal-exhausting, defecation, bed activity, breastfeeding, and hospital stay times. Adverse effects, including infection, bleeding, limb numbness, intrauterine hematoma, urinary retention, and venous thromboembolism, were recorded. the pain visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to evaluate the degree of pain. Anxiety and depression status were qualitatively assessed using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), and Edinburgh postpartum depression scale (EPDS). The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was used to compare sleep quality between the groups.

Results: The baseline data and SAS, SDS, EPDS, and PSQI scores did not significantly differ before CS ( > 0.05) and neither did complication rates between the two groups after CS ( > 0.05). However, anal-exhausting, defecation, waking up, breastfeeding, and hospitalization times were significantly shorter for participants in the IG than those for participants in the CG ( < 0.05). The VAS, SAS, SDS, EPDS, and PSQI scores of the IG were significantly lower than those of the CG ( < 0.05).

Conclusion: PIN, combined with acupressure massage, effectively promotes maternal recovery, reduces post-CS pain, and improves postoperative negative emotions and sleeping quality.