title: Effect of back massage intervention on anxiety, comfort, and physiologic responses in patients with congestive heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients suffering from congestive heart failure (CHF) frequently feel physical suffering and anxiety.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The researchers investigated whether back massage could reduce anxiety, discomfort, and physical suffering in patients with CHF. The effects of gender and severity-dependent response of back massage on anxiety and discomfort in patients were also analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study used a quasi-experimental design with one group pretest and posttest.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-four participants were recruited in southern Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  The modified State Anxiety Inventory, the discomfort Visual Analogue Scale, electronic blood pressure (BP) gauges, stethoscopes and the pulse oximetry were used in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The participants' systolic BP (F (3, 189)=18.91, p<0.01), diastolic BP (F (3, 189)=13.40, p<0.01), heart rate (F (3, 189)=26.28, p<0.01), and respiratory rates (F (3, 189)=5.77, p<0.01) were significantly decreased after back massage. Oxygen saturation levels showed significant increases (F (3, 189)=42.82, p<0.01). Male participants revealed a more significant reduction in anxiety than the female participants (F (1, 50)=7.27, p=0.01). Those with more severe heart failure and greater levels of anxiety (F (2, 61)=4.31, p=0.02) and systolic BP (F (2, 61)=3.86, p=0.03) demonstrated significantly greater responses to back massage.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Back massage significantly reduced anxiety in the study population. Systolic BP decreased to a greater degree in the male participants, particularly in those with severe heart failure and greater levels of anxiety and higher systolic BP. This study was conducted without a control group. Randomized clinical trials are needed to validate the effectiveness of back massage on patients with CHF.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wei-Ling
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Gin-Jen
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shu-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: Ming-Chu
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Mao-Young
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Yuan-Kai
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D001143:Arousal; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008405:Massage / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010092:Oximetry; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D056152:Respiratory Rate; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome