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Acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for patients with irritable bowel syndrome: Pilot
Tsu-Ying Fang1, Tzu-Ting Lin2, Chang-Shyue Yang3
1Department of Infection Control, En Chu Kong Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
Background:
Intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often affect quality of life (QOL). Acupoint electrical stimulation is a noninvasive and highly safe complementary therapy that is generally well accepted by patients. However, few studies have investigated the efficacy of AL-TENS (acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) in improving QOL in patients with IBS.
Objectives:
This study aimed to explore the experiences of patients with IBS receiving AL-TENS.
Design:
This study employed an experimental mixed-methods design with convenience sampling.
Setting:
Participants were recruited from a regional teaching hospital in northern Taiwan.
Participants:
Adults diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome.
Methods:
Participants (n = 30) were randomly assigned to transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or control groups. In addition to completing structured questionnaires at four times, the TENS group also participated in structured qualitative interviews and completed a satisfaction questionnaire to assess their perceptions of the intervention. The questionnaires assessed demographic and clinical characteristics, QOL, symptom severity, and stool characteristics.
Results:
IBS-specific QOL scores improved over time in the TENS group, being significantly better at weeks 4 and 8 than at baseline. Relative to the control group, the TENS group exhibited significant improvements in the social relationships domain at weeks 4 and 8 post-intervention. Qualitatively, 13 participants reported improvements in IBS symptoms and nine reported enhanced QOL.
Conclusions:
In patients with IBS, AL-TENS may help improve IBS symptoms and the social components of QOL. Further research with larger sample sizes is necessary to validate these findings.
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