# The effect of hand massage on pain, comfort, and sleep quality in palliative care oncology patients

## TL;DR

This study shows that hand massage can reduce pain, improve sleep, and increase comfort in cancer patients receiving palliative care.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that hand massage is effective in improving pain, comfort, and sleep quality in palliative oncology patients.

## Key findings

- Hand massage significantly reduced pain intensity and increased comfort from week 2.
- Sleep quality improved both subjectively and objectively in the experimental group from week 1.
- No significant differences were found between groups before the intervention.

## Abstract

Oncology patients often experience pain, sleep problems, and discomfort during palliative care. Hand massage is a nonpharmacological method that can relax the patient and help alleviate these problems. This study aimed to examine the effect of hand massage on pain, comfort, and sleep quality in palliative oncology patients.

A randomized, controlled experimental study was conducted with a sample of 76 oncology patients treated in the palliative care clinic of a public hospital. The patients were randomly allocated to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group (n = 38) received a total of 16 sessions of hand massage, performed twice a day, 2 days per week for 4 weeks. The control group (n = 38) received no intervention. The patients’ pain, sleep quality, and comfort were assessed before and at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after the start of the intervention using the Visual Analog Scale for pain, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, the General Comfort Questionnaire, and a smart wristband.

Demographic characteristics and pre-intervention pain, sleep quality, and comfort scores showed no statistical differences between the groups (p > 0.05). The experimental group reported significantly lower pain intensity and greater comfort than the control group starting from week 2 (p < 0.05). In addition, subjective sleep quality assessed using the PSQI and objective sleep parameters (sleep duration and sleep score) measured by a smart wristband, including objective sleep duration and objective sleep score, were significantly better in the experimental group than in the control group from the first week (p < 0.05).

Hand massage is an effective method for reducing pain and increasing sleep quality and comfort in palliative oncology patients.

Clinical trial registration no: NCT06360614.