Table 3.
Mean Changes in Vital Signs, by Group
| Vital Sign | Control (n = 98) | Hand Massage Therapy (n = 101) | pa | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | SD | Mean | SD | ||
| Pulse (bpm) | |||||
| Baseline | 79.1 | 13.6 | 77.9 | 13.2 | .47 |
| Postintervention | 78.9 | 13.7 | 78.9 | 11.5 | .91 |
| Change from baseline to postintervention | −0.2 | 9.2 | 1.0 | 7.8 | .31 |
| Respiration rate (bpm) | |||||
| Baseline | 16.4 | 1.9 | 16.5 | 1.7 | .88 |
| Postintervention | 17.5 | 4.5 | 17.3 | 1.7 | .36 |
| Change from baseline to postintervention | 1.0 | 4.3 b,* | 0.8 | 1.7 b,* | .59 |
| Systolic pressure (mmHg) | |||||
| Baseline | 132.9 | 22.7 | 133.2 | 21.9 | .73 |
| Postintervention | 129.9 | 18.4 | 131.9 | 18.0 | .28 |
| Change from baseline to postintervention | −2.9 | 11.6 b,* | −1.4 | 11.9 | .58 |
| Diastolic pressure (mmHg) | |||||
| Baseline | 78.9 | 13.2 | 77.4 | 13.4 | .38 |
| Postintervention | 76.9 | 10.6 | 77.8 | 11.6 | .69 |
| Change from baseline to postintervention | −2.1 | 7.5 b,* | 0.4 | 9.1 | .08 |
a Mann–Whitney U test. b Paired t test.
*Significant difference between preintervention and postintervention, p < .05.