The Intervention Study Of Auricular Point Therapy On The Sleep Quality Of Patients With Hysterectomy In Early Convalescence

ObjectiveTo explore the clinical effect of auricular point therapy on the sleep quality of patients with hysterectomy in early convalescenceMethodsNinety-six patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into auricular point group, sham auricular point group, blank control group according to the ratio of 1:1:1.The patients in the auricular point group received auricular point therapy and basic treatment. The patients in the sham auricular point group received the sham auricular point therapy and basic treatment. The patients in the blank control group only received the basic treatment. The treatment started from the evening after hysterectomy and end in the third day after the operation. During the trial, basic treatment, such as conventional anti infection, nutrition support and other therapies, could not be combined with any drugs or other therapeutic measures that may promote the quality of sleep. The curative effectiveness was assessed on the first day after operation, on the third after operation, and before discharge. The observation indexes mainly included scores of Athens Insomnia Scale(AIS), scores of Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI) and its sleep related factors, scores of The WHO Quality of Life Brief Scale(WHOQOL-BREF), scores of self rating anxiety scale (SAS), scores of self rating depression scale (SDS), degree of postoperative pain (using visual analogue scale, VAS), the time of exhaust and defecation after hysterectomy, postoperative complications and postoperative hospital days. All the data were analyzed statistically with SPSS 17.0 package.ResultsWe found that all patients had postoperative higher scores of Athens Insomnia Scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index and its sleep factors, less actual sleeping time, and more serious sleep disturbance than preoperative (P<0.05),especially in the evening after the operation. However, for the auricular point group,whether the total scores of Athens Insomnia Scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, or the sleep factors which is part of the Pittsburgh sleep quality index,such as sleep quality, sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep disorders, daytime function, were all lower than the other two groups (P<0.01, a’=0.05/3=0.0167, checked by Bonferroni).For all of the patients, the scores of SAS and SDS scaled before discharge were higher than before operation(P<0.05), however, the scores of them in auricular group were lower than the sham auricular point group and blank control group(P<0.001).According to VAS, the scores of the auricular point group were the lowest compared with the other two groups(P<0.001).The time of exhaust and defecation after hysterectomy in auricular point therapy group were significantly shortened than the other two groups (P< 0.01, a’=0.0167, checked by Bonferroni).The scores of SAS and SDS scaled before discharge were higher than before operation(P<0.05), however,the scores of them in auricular group were lower than the sham auricular point group and blank control group(P<0.001).The postoperative scores of WHOQOL-BREF of all the patients were lower than their preoperative. However, compared with the another two groups, the auricular point group had higher scores(P<0.001), especially in the physical and psychological fields(P<0.01, a’=0.0167, checked by Bonferroni).ConclusionPatients with hysterectomy usually have poor sleep quality in early time (the first third day) after operation, especially in the evening after the operation, While auricular point therapy may improve the quality of sleep of patients after hysterectomy. And it may play an important role in increasing patients’sleeping time and sleeping efficiency, declining sleeping disturbance, extending daytime function.Ear point tapping and pressing therapy may alleviate postoperative patients’unhealthy emotion, such as anxiety and depression directly or indirectly,so as to form a virtuous circle with the good sleep.Auricular point therapy may relieve the pain of the patients after hysterectomy, by which it could decline sleeping disorders.Auricular point therapy may improve quality of sleep by promoting the recovery of gastrointestinal function, and then they form a benign circulation.Auricular point therapy may improve the quality of life of patients after hysterectomy, particularly in living field and areas of mental.Therefore, auricular point therapy is an effective and safe treatment in improving sleep quality of patients with hysterectomy in early convalescence, and deserves widely extending clinical application.