Effects of Footbath on Pain, Anxiety, Sleep, and Comfort Levels in Patients with Postlaparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Randomized Controlled Study

Purpose: The aim of the study is to determine the effect of of hot footbaths on the pain, anxiety, sleep, and comfort levels of patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Design: The study is a randomized controlled designed. Methods: This study was conducted in surgery clinic of a university hospital between January 2022 and November 2022. The research was completed with 54 patients in the experimental group and 54 patients in the control group. Findings: The mean state anxiety score and VAS-Sleep score of the patients in the experimental group 120 minutes after the application was 31.07±4.70 and 612.62±82.37, respectively, which was statistically significantly lower than that of the patients in the control group (P<0.05). On the other hand, at the 120th minutes after the application, the mean VAS-Comfort scores of the patients in the experimental group were statistically significantly higher than those of the patients in the control group (P<0.05). A positive relationship was found between the mean VAS-Pain and VAS-Sleep scores of the patients in the experimental group, and a significant negative relationship was found between the mean VAS-Comfort and state anxiety scores. Conclusions: Foot bath is effective in reducing the pain and anxiety levels of patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery.