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The effect of acupressure on symptom management in children: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Gamze Akay1, Muhammed Yıldız2, Hatice Oğuzhan3
1Artvin Coruh University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing, Artvin, Turkey.
Insights
Acupressure may effectively reduce anxiety, pain, and nausea in children undergoing medical procedures. However, more rigorous research is needed due to limited studies and high heterogeneity in current evidence.
Area of Science:
- Integrative Medicine
- Pediatric Health
- Pain Management
Background:
- Pediatric patients frequently experience distress, pain, and nausea during medical procedures.
- Effective symptom management is crucial for improving pediatric patient experience and outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis synthesizing evidence on acupressure's efficacy for symptom management in pediatric patients (0-19 years).
- To evaluate acupressure's potential benefits for anxiety, pain, and nausea in children.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
- Comprehensive literature search across multiple databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, etc.) updated through August 2026.
- Inclusion of 17 studies, with data synthesized using meta-analysis and narrative methods.
Main Results:
- Acupressure showed statistically significant reductions in pediatric anxiety (SMD = -1.021), pain (SMD = -1.397), and nausea (SMD = -0.388).
- High statistical heterogeneity was noted for anxiety (I² = 78.8%) and pain (I² = 94.4%).
- Limited numbers of studies were available for each outcome (anxiety: n=6; pain: n=9; nausea: n=4).
Conclusions:
- Acupressure presents a promising complementary therapy for managing anxiety, pain, and nausea in pediatric patients.
- Findings should be interpreted cautiously due to small sample sizes, limited studies, and significant statistical heterogeneity.
- Further high-quality, well-designed RCTs are recommended to validate these findings before widespread clinical adoption.
Purpose:
Pediatric patients often experience distress, pain, and nausea during medical procedures. This meta-analysis aimed to synthesize current evidence on the potential efficacy of acupressure on symptom management among pediatric patients aged 0-19 years.
Design And Methods:
This study was designed as a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar, and the YÖK Thesis Center in January 2025 and updated in August 2026, with no restriction on publication year. After the reviews, 17 studies were included in the study. The data were synthesized by meta-analysis and narrative methods.
Results:
The pooled analysis indicated that acupressure was associated with statistically significant reductions in reported anxiety (SMD = -1.021, p < 0.001), pain (SMD = -1.397, p < 0.001), and nausea (SMD = -0.388, p = 0.006). However, substantial statistical heterogeneity was observed for anxiety (I2 = 78.8%) and pain (I2 = 94.4%), and the number of studies available for each outcome was limited (anxiety: n = 6; pain: n = 9; nausea: n = 4).
Conclusions And Practice Implications:
Current evidence suggests that acupressure may be a promising complementary approach for managing anxiety, pain, and nausea in pediatric patients. However, given the small number of studies per outcome, small sample sizes, and high statistical heterogeneity, these findings should be interpreted with caution. Further rigorous, well-designed RCTs are required to confirm these observations before routine clinical implementation can be recommended.
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