The effects of foot massage on physiologic indicators in critically ill patients

Abstract

The perpuse of this research is to determine the effect of foot massage on physiologic indicators including pulse, respiration and mean arterial pressure. The hypothesis of this research is that foot massage decreases the patient´s heart rate, respiratory rate and mean arterial pressure. This research is a quasiexperimental study and a self-control clinical trial with repeated measures in witch 46 patients with brain stroke that hospitalized in intensive care unit of Tajrish Shohada hospital are studied. Using instruments include a sthetoscope and a sphygmomanometer that sphygmomanometer was calibrated before begeaning the work. Information was collected at 4 to 6 pm. For this perpuse the physiologic indicators were controlled and after 10 minute, the samples were undergoing five minute stroke foot massage, and then in 10 and 30 minute intervals physiologic indicators were controlled again. Data were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA statistical method. Findings showed that pulse rate, respiratory rate and mean arterial pressure significantly decrease after five minute foot massage (p