Examination of Postgraduate Thesis in Tuürkiye on the Effect of Massage Applıed in the Postoperative Period on Pain

Abstract

In this study, it was aimed to examine the quality and quantity of postgraduate theses on the effect of massage applied in the postoperative period on pain. The literature search was conducted on 5-10 March 2022 in the National Thesis Center database of the Council of Higher Education without any year limitation. The keywords "surgery" and "massage" and "pain" were used while scanning. Theses that meet the eligibility criteria are included in the review. The theses reached were evaluated according to their titles, and the theses that were not related to the subject were removed. Eight theses from master's and doctoral theses in the field of nursing were examined. In the search, 18 theses were reached. The five theses reached were excluded from the study because they were not related to the subject. Of the remaining 13 studies, two were excluded because they were specializations in medicine, one was physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and one was family medicine. Since the full text of one of the theses could not be reached, it was excluded from the study. Eight theses were included in the study as a result of examining the studies determined to make the selection according to the inclusion criteria. Three of the theses were master's theses, and the remaining five studies were carried out as doctoral theses. The time of publication of theses varies between 2009-2019. When the types of theses are examined, three studies are quasi-experimental, four studies are randomized controlled studies, and one study is a study with a pretest-posttest control group. The research group of one of the theses consists of pediatric patients. Various types of massage were compared in the studies evaluated. It has been seen that hand massage and foot massage are mostly used. It has been concluded that hand massage or foot massage applied in the postoperative period is effective in reducing pain. In line with these results, it is recommended to use massage, which is one of the non-pharmacological methods, in pediatric and adult patients to reduce pain in the postoperative period.