title: Randomized trial of acupressure to improve patient satisfaction and quality of recovery in hospitalized patients: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: Acupressure therapy may be potentially beneficial in improving postoperative symptoms like postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), pain and sleep disorder and improving postoperative quality of recovery. The primary aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of acupressure therapy on postoperative patient satisfaction and quality of recovery in hospitalized patients after surgical treatment.
  
  
  
  This three-group, parallel, superiority, blinded, randomized controlled trial will test the hypothesis that a combination of PC6, LI4 and HT7 acupressure is superior to sham or no intervention for improving postoperative quality of recovery in hospitalized patients. A minimum of 150 patients will be randomly allocated to one of the three experimental groups: control (no visit), light touch (sham acupressure) or active acupressure therapy in a 1:1:1 ratio. Interventions will be performed three times a day for 2 days. Patient satisfaction, quality of recovery, PONV and pain will be measured during the 3 days following randomization. The study protocol was approved by the Stony Brook University Institutional Review Board on 21 March 2016. Written informed consent will be recorded from every consented patient.
  
  
  
  This study has the potential to improve the recovery of hospitalized patients by adding knowledge on the efficacy of acupressure therapy in this setting. A multipoint acupressure protocol will be compared to both a no intervention group and a light touch group, providing insight into different aspects of the placebo effect.
  
  
  
  ClinicalTrial.gov, NCT02762435 . Registered on 14 April 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA. eric.noll@chru-strasbourg.fr.|Institut de Chirurgie Guidee par l'Image, IHU Hopitaux Universitaire de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. eric.noll@chru-strasbourg.fr.|Service d'Anesthesie Reanimation Hautepierre - CCOM - CMCO, Hopitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France. eric.noll@chru-strasbourg.fr.|C.C.O.M., 10 avenue Achille Baumann, 67400, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France. eric.noll@chru-strasbourg.fr.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Noll
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Shivam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shodhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Maria Cecilia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Madariaga
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Page
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Santangelo
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Ehab
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Al Bizri
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Aurora D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Pryor
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jamie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Romeiser
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Elliott
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bennett-Guerrero
mesh_terms: D019050:Acupressure / Q000379:methods*; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D009518:New York; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D020250:Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012107:Research Design; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Acupressure therapy; Patient satisfaction; Quality of recovery