Effects of hand massage on women's pain, comfort levels and flatulence times after caesarean section: A randomized controlled study

Introduction: Practices such as hand massage after cesarean delivery are needed to improve the quality of care. This study was aimed at investigating effects of hand massage given to women who have had a cesarean section on their pain level, comfort level and flatulence time in the postpartum period. Methods: The data of this randomized controlled experimental study were collected between August 2022 and January 2023. The study was completed with 182 women (intervention group=91, control group=91). The Personal Information Form, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Postpartum Flatulence and Analgesic Drug Information Form, and Postpartum Comfort Scale (PCS) were used to collect data. Women in the intervention group received a total of 60-minutes of hand massage. Results: In the study, the women in the intervention group obtained lower scores from the VAS (t=-7.166; p<0.01), and higher scores from the overall PCS (t=3.301; p=0.001), physical comfort (t=10.277; p<0.001), psychospiritual comfort (t=10.583; p<0.001) and sociocultural comfort (t=7.774; p<0.001) subscales than did the women in the control group. The flatulence time of the women in the intervention group was shorter than that of the women in the control group (t=-6.433; p<0.001). Conclusion: It was concluded that hand massage given to the women after cesarean section reduced their pain level and increased their comfort level, and shortened the flatulence time. Registration number: NCT05521581