الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
L14 Acupressure is a suitable non-pharmacological technique that is easy to perform and effective in alleviating pain, without any side effects for the mother or baby. It can be used to reduce pain during the active phase of labor rather than using pharmacological methods. According to the World Health Organization‟s policies to reduce the rate of cesarean deliveries and promotion of safe childbirth, it is necessary to make childbearing pleasant and reduce maternal fear of natural childbirth using safe methods to reduce labor pain and increase the rate of vaginal delivery. In order to make this possible, midwives need training in using non-pharmacological techniques and the attitudes and policies of the hospitals need to be altered.
The current study was conducted at the obstetric unit of El-shouhdaa hospital at El-shouhdaa, Menoufia governorate to identify the effect of Acupressure on labor pain for nulliparous women during first stage of normal labor as well as women opinion about if the used method was effective in reducing pain.
This study included a total of 100 primiparae women in normal labor were selected randomly from Obstetrics & Gynecology Department at El Shouhdaa-Hospital. The study sample was divided into two equal groups (experimental group & control group) each group included 50 women. Data were collected through a constructed interview questionnaire that was developed by the researcher based on pertinent literature and guidance of supervisors and pain rating scales including Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) part I which used for assessment of pain intensity & sites of pain. Both wereused before intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 30 and 60 minutes after the intervention.
A pilot study of 10% of the total sample size were conducted to test clarity, feasibility, applicability and understandability of tools and the time of application. It was carried out on 10 women (5women were assigned to LI4 Acupressure application and another were assigned to LI4 touch). The result of the pilot study helped in refining the interview questionnaire and to set the final schedule. They were excluded from the study population to assure the stability of the results and make the necessary modifications.
In our study, the experimental group received LI4 Acupressure at the onset of active phases for duration of each uterine contraction (from the beginning of contraction to the end of the same contraction) over a period of 30 minutes and the control group received only LI4 touch. Acupressure was applied by the thumb (using not the edges but the round ends of the thumbs).
In the present study, the majority of cases in both groups 87% were in age between 20:26 years. There was no significant differences between all sociodemographic data between the control and study group.
The current study revealed that there is a highly significant difference in pain scores which increase with cervical dilatation and rupture of membrane.
The present study revealed that there was no significant difference regarding site, depth or nature of pain (if internal, external or both internal and external) between both groups through all steps of the study (before, immediately after, 30 min. and 60 min. after intervention).In the present study, the results revealed that there was high significant difference in all pain scores between both groups except before intervention in which there was no significant difference between both groups. In study group the pain was high (8.3) and the pain scores decrease immediately after intervention (6.38) and then elevated after 30 min. (7.38) but still lower than before intervention. While, after 60 min. the pain scores elevated to reach (9.26). But, in control group the pain scores before intervention was at the point (7.88) and nearly still the same (7.96) immediately after intervention and then the pain elevated 30min. after to reach (8.84) and the elevation still 60min. after to reach (9.7).
The collected data were organized, categorized, tabulated and statistically analyzed using SPSS program version, data were presented in the tables using descriptive statistics in the form of frequencies, Chi-square test, percentage and mean score, standard deviation, comparison of means was performed using paired t-test. Correlation among variables were done using person correlation coefficient. Significance was accepted at p<0.05 for interpretation of results of tests of significance.