The Use of Acupressure Wristbands to Prevent Nausea and Vomiting in Labour and Delivery

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Introduction Feeling sick in labour is a common problem which can cause additional distress. These symptoms probably occur due to pain, anxiety and drug side effects. We are interested in studying the potential effect of using acupressure wrist bands to stop nausea and vomiting in this setting. This is a non-drug remedy, related to acupuncture, involving applying pressure to a point near the wrist. It has been shown to be successful in combating sickness in other situations such as post-operative nausea and vomiting, and morning sickness. Aims/Objectives/Hypotheses The study aims to look at the rates of sickness in women wearing acupressure wristbands (PressureRightTM) compared to baseline levels and those wearing dummy (placebo) bands. Study Population We will be studying women who are in good health, aged18 years or older, in full term labour admitted to the labour ward and who consent to taking part in our trial. They will receive information about the project and they will be able to withdraw from the study at any time. We will not be looking at women who are morbidly obese, known to be intravenous drug users, have an allergy to tapes, have an abnormal or dead baby, do not speak English, and/or are using acupressure techniques or medications to treat nausea already. Methods Women who have agreed and signed a written consent will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups, treatment group with the bands applied correctly and placebo group with dummy (placebo) bands. Both types of bands will be covered. We will collect baseline information such as age, weight, height, pregnancy details, smoking status, history of motion sickness, progress of labour, use of medications, presence of initial nausea and pain. Further information will be collected during the labour by way of a simple form (with midwife help). This will include sickness and pain severity. The rest of the required information including the use of any medications during labour, use of an epidural, basic observations such as blood pressure, and the level of satisfaction with their care will be collected post delivery. Ethical Issues There are no significant ethical issues in the performance of this study.

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