الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Patients with rheumatoid arthritis face considerable physical, social and emotional disabilities. In this chronic disease, for which a cure is not yet available, improving patients’ quality of life and reduce foot pain one of the best concerns. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of reflexology on the severity of foot pain and quality of life on patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Design: A quasi-experimental research design was utilized in this study. Subjects: A purposive sample of 60 adult patients of both genders diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis was includt!d in this study. Setting: data were collected from the Rheumatology department and outpatient clinics at AI Qasr AI Aini University Hospital, affiliated to Cairo University. Data collection tools: three tools were used for data collection (I) A structured interview questionnaire sheet, which included (a) demographic data, (b) patient’s medical history, (2) Patient’s Rheumatoid Arthritis Quality of Life questionnaire and (3) The Foot Pain Disability Questionnaire. The results: there was a highly statistically significant difference between pre, immediate post and three months follow up after implementation of foot reflexology intervention among the studied patients’ regarding severity of foot pain and quality of life. Conclusion: Foot reflexology applied to rheumatoid arthritis patients has a positive effect on reducing their foot pain and improving their quality of life as a complementary and alternative therapy. Recommendation: Foot reflexology should be taken into consideration as a c~mplementary modality beside rheumatoid arthritis drugs prescribed for a subgroup of patients. Keywords: Foot pain, Quality oflife, Reflexology, Rheumatoid arthritis. |