A nurse-led auricular point acupressure (APA) training session for oncology nurses was feasible for nurses to master APA skills and integrate APA care for patients with cancer-related pain (CRP). These findings were published in Integrative Cancer Therapies.

More than half of patients undergoing anticancer treatment report pain. Auricular point acupressure has demonstrated effects on pain, and given its noninvasive characteristics, could be delivered by oncology nurses.

This 2-phase feasibility study was conducted at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Ten oncology nurses underwent 5 hours of didactic APA training followed by 3 hours of hands-on personal training. Feasibility of the training course was assessed using an APA knowledge test comprising 43 multiple choice questions and 7 open-ended questions, a participant confidence assessment using the 10-point Likert scale, and a practice log describing APA delivery to 5 friends or peers. A total of 44 participants received practice APA.

The average score on the APA knowledge test was 93% (SD, 6.87%) and the participants rated their APA confidence as 6.5 (range, 5 to 10) points. The practice APA recipients rated their pre-APA pain as 4.8 (SD, 1.67) points. Pain scores decreased by 49% immediately after APA, by 60% one day post-APA, and by 66% 2 days post-APA.

In the second phase, 33 patients with CRP underwent APA by the newly certified nurses. Patients were mean age 50.2 (SD, 15.64) years, 57.6% were men, and the most common cancer diagnoses were leukemia (27.3%) and gastrointestinal cancer (21.2%).

Auricular Point Acupressure Feasible for Nursing Practice, Improves Patient Outcomes

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