Tara Alizadeh - Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran
Poorya Takasi - Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran

The objective of this systematic review was to examine the influence of acupressure on the levels of anxiety and pain among individuals undergoing cardiac catheterization. An extensive search was carried out across global electronic databases, encompassing Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science, along with Iranian databases like Iranmedex, spanning from the earliest available date to October ۱, ۲۰۲۳. The search utilized keywords derived from Medical Subject Headings, encompassing terms like "acupressure", "anxiety", "pain", and "cardiac catheterization". The quality evaluation of randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies was performed utilizing the critical assessment checklist from the Joanna Briggs Institute. A total of ۷۸۱ patients participated in nine studies, with ۵۹.۶۰% being female, and ۵۷.۱۱% assigned to the intervention group. The participants had a mean age of ۵۵.۷۲ years (SD=۹.۱۳), and the average duration of the intervention was ۱۲.۷۸ minutes. The findings of this systematic review suggest that health professionals, including nurses, can effectively utilize acupressure to mitigate both pain and anxiety in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. As a recommendation, it is advised that healthcare managers and policymakers create supportive environments within hospitals, enabling healthcare professionals to incorporate acupressure techniques. This proactive approach may contribute to the reduction of anxiety and pain experienced by patients undergoing cardiac catheterization.

Acupressure, anxiety, Pain, Cardiac, CATHETERIZATION, Systematic review