FEATURES Effect of Acupressure on Nausea-Vomiting in Patients With Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia ■ Hatice Sevil Avcı, RN ■ Nimet Ovayolu, PhD, RN ■ ¨ Ozlem Ovayolu, PhD, RN The aim of this study was to assess the effect of acupressure, applied at P6 (Neiguan) acupuncture point, on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. This was a randomized controlled trial conducted on patients with myeloblastic leukemia. A total of 90 patients, who received the same chemotherapy regimen and antiemetic therapy, were included in the study as 30 patients in the control group, 30 patients in the band group, and 30 patients in the pressure group. Although acupressure was applied by placing wristbands at P6 acupuncture point of both wrists in patients of the band group for totally 4 days, acupressure was applied with the use of finger pressure in patients of the pressure group for totally 4 days. No intervention was made in patients of the control group other than the routine antiemetic therapy. The data of the study were collected by using a questionnaire and nausea-vomiting chart. Severity of nausea-vomiting was assessed by using the visual analog scale on this chart. It was determined that the acupressure band applied to the patients included in the study reduced number and severity of nausea-vomiting (P < .05); however, the acupressure applied with pressure did not affect number and severity of nausea-vomiting (P > .05). It was found that the acupressure band was effective for reducing the chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. KEY WORDS: acupressure, acute myeloblastic leukemia, chemotherapy, nausea, Turkey, vomiting Holist Nurs Pract 2016;30(5):257–262 INTRODUCTION Today, cancer is one of the most serious health problems. Many approaches have been used for cancer treatment such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormonotherapy, and immunotherapy. Among these approaches, chemotherapy adversely affects the quality of life in patients by causing some serious problems such as nausea-vomiting, lack of appetite, mouth ulcer, bone marrow depression, constipation and diarrhea, and hair loss. 1 These problems are priority issues also for health care team members working in the field of oncology and it is Author Affiliations: Health Services, Vocational School, Namik Kemal University, Tekirda˘ g, Turkey (Ms Avcı); and Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey (Drs Ovayolu and Ovayolu). We would like to thank all the patients who agreed to participate in the study. All authors have contributed significantly, and that all authors are in agree- ment with the content of the article. The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: ¨ Ozlem Ovayolu, PhD, RN, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey (oucan@gantep.edu.tr). DOI: 10.1097/HNP.0000000000000161 essential to reduce these symptoms as part of the care. 2 Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting remains difficult symptoms to manage in clinical practice. As standard antiemetic drugs do not fully eliminate these symptoms, it is important to explore the adjuvant role of nonpharmacological and complementary therapies in antiemetic management approaches. Acupressure is one of such treatments showing highly suggestive evidence of a positive effect so far, meriting further investigation. 3 Acupressure and acupuncture have been used for more than 2500 years in traditional Chinese medicine as prophylaxis for nausea and vomiting. 4,5 Acupressure is a treatment method that enables energy channels in the body to function optimally by applying pressure with finger, palm, or special stimulation bands at acupuncture points on the meridians carrying energy. 6 Despite being based on the same principles as acupuncture, acupressure is a noninvasive, natural, safe, costless, and easy-to-apply treatment with no side effect. 6,7 Nevertheless, acupressure is not performed in clinics in Turkey and pharmacological treatments have been more concentrated. This study was designed to attract attention on to this subject with the aim of prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia, Copyright © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited. 257