Medical Communication Biosci. Biotech. Res. Comm. 10(4): 645-651 (2017) The effect of massage therapy on sleep quality in cardiac care unit patients Arezoo Khosravi 1 , Fariba Bolourchifard 2 *, Mahnaz Ikhani 3 and Mohamad Amin Pourhoseingholi 4 1 Master of Medical Surgical Nursing, Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2 PhD in Nursing, Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 3 Doctorate in Clinical Practice, Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 4 PhD in Biostatistics, Associate professor, Gastroenterology and Liver Disease Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran ABSTRACT Low sleep quality is one of the most common complaints in patients admitted to CCU. This study aimed to determine the effect of Massage Therapy on Sleep Quality, admitted in the cardiac care unit. This research is a quasi-experimental study. 60 cardiac patients admitted to CCU at Shariati Hospital in Tehran were selected and randomly divided into two interven- tion and control groups. Members of the intervention group for a week, For one week, in 4 sessions, each session is 12 minutes twice a day, in the morning and in the evening or at least once before bed time were treated by massage, but the control group did not received the massage. Data collected by demographic characteristics questionnaire and Pittsburg sleep quality (PSQI) and were analyzed by using of statistical methods such as paired t-test and analysis of covariance. Results showed improved quality of sleep among the intervention group quality scores in the post-test signifcantly improved compared to pre-test (P= 0/001) but in the control group was not observed signifcant difference between the pre-test and post-test (P=0/520). Also, there was a signifcant difference between post-test score in two groups of inter- vention and control with control of pre-test effects (P=0/001). Therefore, massage therapy has improved the quality of sleep in the intervention group. According to effectiveness of massage therapy on sleeping quality in patients hospitalized in the coronary care unit, this method can be used to reduce undesirable effects of decreased sleep quality in patients. KEY WORDS: MASSAGE THERAPY, SLEEPING QUALITY, CARDIOVASCULAR PATIENTS, CARDIAC CARE UNIT 645 ARTICLE INFORMATION: *Corresponding Author: bolourchifard@gmail.com, bolourchi@sbmu.ac.ir Received 12 th Oct, 2017 Accepted after revision 21 st Dec, 2017 BBRC Print ISSN: 0974-6455 Online ISSN: 2321-4007 CODEN: USA BBRCBA Thomson Reuters ISI ESC and Crossref Indexed Journal NAAS Journal Score 2017: 4.31 Cosmos IF: 4.006 © A Society of Science and Nature Publication, 2017. All rights reserved. Online Contents Available at: http//www.bbrc.in/ DOI: 10.21786/bbrc/10.4/6