Comparison of the effectiveness of reflexotherapy with skilled birth attendant on labor outcomes in terms of psychophysiological variables among primigravid women - A pilot study

Abstract

Background: Nonpharmacological interventions are gaining momentum in managing women in labor. Hence, dissemination of data on current evidence is mandatory, to persuade the professional midwives to equip themselves with complementary therapies to enhance the efficacy of their interventions in labor. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to provide evidence for the effectiveness of reflexotherapy (RT) in comparison with skilled birth attendant (SKB) on labor outcomes among primigravid women regarding psychophysiological variables. Materials and Methods: A true experimental design with simple random sampling method was employed for the study. Forty-five gravid women, 15 in each group, between 37 and 40 weeks of gestation were included in the study after voluntary informed consent. The control group (CO) was given a routine care in the labor room, application of RT 45 min at 3-4 cm of cervical dilatation was given to the RT group. Instructional, emotional, and physical support with continuous presence from 3 to 4 cm of cervical dilatation until the end of the third stage was ensured to the SKB. The tools used were anxiety in labor assessment scale (modified Dass21) stress in labor assessment scale (modified Dass21) and physiological parameters monitoring chart. Results: The Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA on Ranks showed a significant difference between the control, SKB, and RT groups in the postdelivery assessment of labor anxiety (P ≤ 0.001) and labor stress (P ≤ 0.001). One-way ANOVA showed no significant difference between the control, SKB and RT group in both diastolic and systolic blood pressures, temperature and fetal heart rate, while there was significant difference at 30 minutes (P = 0.004) after the intervention and at 7-8 (P = 0.029) centimeters of cervical dilation in the pulse rate. Kruskal wallies One-way ANOVA on Ranks showed no significant difference in the Apgar score. Conclusion: RT and the presence of a SKB are effective in reducing labor anxiety and labor stress, whereas it has no effect on the physiological parameters in labor except the pulse rate.