Rocking-Chair Motion Studies

The purpose of the study was to test the effect of rocking chair motion on POI duration, total pain medication received, and time of discharge in patients with cancer recovering from abdominal surgery (Massey, 2010, p. 60). To help determine the effectiveness of rocking chair motion both genders were used. A randomized control trial sample was used to conduct this study at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center between July 2005 and February 2007. The inclusion criteria consisted of the following: patients 21 years and older, abdominal surgery for gastrointestinal cancers, receive patient controlled epidural or IV analgesia, cognitively intact, speak English, tolerate rocking or sitting in chair, and were able to ambulate (Massey, 2010, p. 60). A principle investigator was in charge of collecting demographic data and surgical characteristics which consisted of the following: age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, diagnosis, surgical procedure, anesthesia time, surgical time, and history of previous abdominal surgery. A total of 66 patients were used for this study which consisted of 32 participants for the non-rocking group and 34 for the rocking group. There was attrition that occurred in this study involving two participants from the rocking group who could not continue the study due to dizziness and return to surgery due to internal bleeding (Massey, 2010, p. 62).

61). The groups were compared using t tests for interval data while chi-square analyses was used for ordinal data. The investigator met the patients from both groups every day until the passage of their first flatus. The participants were also instructed to record the time and date in which they passed their first flatus (self estimate assessment). Also, descriptive analysis was used to summarize the outcomes of the