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Research: GONG and COLLEAGUES,
Listed in Issue 314
Abstract
(1)School of Nursing, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan; (2)School of Nursing, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan; (3)School of Medicine, Institute of Traditional Medicine, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan; (4)Yilan Yuanshan Medical Foundation, Yilan Yuanshan Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan; (5)School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; (6)Department of Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan; (7)Department of Psychiatry, New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan conducted a crossover randomized controlled trial to investigate the efficacy of applying auricular acupressure (AA) treatment in improving constipation in patients with schizophrenia.
Background
Constipation is a common distressing problem in patients with schizophrenia that can cause complications and impair quality of life. Objective. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of applying auricular acupressure (AA) treatment in improving constipation in patients with schizophrenia.
Methodology
A crossover randomized controlled trial design was performed from April 2022 to December 2023 at four psychiatric rehabilitation care centers. A total of 23 patients with schizophrenia received an AA intervention or usual care according to the designated treatment sequences. Measurements comprised subjective assessment of constipation by the Patient Assessment of Constipation-Symptoms (PAC-SYM) questionnaire, an objective assessment of the stool pattern rated by a Bristol stool form scale, and heart rate variability. A generalized estimating equation model was used for data analyses.
Results
After completing an 8-week AA intervention stimulating the Shenmen, San Jiao, Large intestine and Rectum, the AA group exhibited lower scores in the PAC-SYM total score (difference = -12.66, ,0.001), and the subscales: abdominal (difference = -3.36, p < .001), rectal (difference = -3.51, p < .001), and stool (difference = -5.79, p < .001), compared to those receiving usual care. The cases of constipation indicated by type 1 and type 2 of the BSF scale significantly decreased after the 8-week AA intervention. Moreover, the AA group displayed more parasympathetic dominance compared to the usual care group, with a low frequency to high frequency ratio of -1.15.
Conclusion
AA is an effective non-pharmacological method for improving subjective constipation symptoms and objective stool pattern in patients with schizophrenia. Conflict of interest statement: Declaration of Conflicting Interests, The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
References
Gong CM(1), Huang HC(1), Liu JH(2)(3), Yu SS(4), Chen YT(5)(6)(7). Auricular Acupressure Improve Constipation of Patients With Schizophrenia:
A Pilot Randomized Controlled Study. Biol Res Nurs.;26(3):418-428. Epub Mar 4.2024 Jul 2024. doi: 10.1177/10998004241236947.
