Department of Yoga, International Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy Medical Sciences, The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, Chengalpattu, TamilNadu, India.
Department of Naturopathy, International Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy Medical Sciences, The Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, Chengalpattu, TamilNadu, India.
J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2024 Oct 31;17(5):158-164. doi: 10.51507/j.jams.2024.17.5.158.
Labor pain presents significant challenges during childbirth, necessitating effective pain management strategies. Auriculotherapy, a non-pharmacological intervention targeting specific ear points, has been explored as a potential solution for alleviating labor pain.
This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of auriculotherapy in reducing labor pain intensity and improving maternal satisfaction.
The electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Library were searched from inception until December 2023 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating auriculotherapy as an intervention for labor pain management.
Two authors independently conducted literature selection based on predefined criteria (i.e., RCTs assessing auriculotherapy for labor pain management).
Data extraction was performed independently by two authors, and a random-effects model was used for meta-analysis. The pooled mean difference (MD), with a 95% confidence interval (CI), was calculated to estimate the effect size.
MAIN OUTCOME(S) AND MEASURE(S): The primary outcome was labor pain intensity measured on the visual analog scale.
Meta-analysis of five RCTs involving 451 patients revealed a significant reduction in labor pain following auriculotherapy compared with no treatment (MD, -1.78; 95% CI, -2.62 to -0.93). However, significant heterogeneity was observed among the included studies (I, 87%; < 0.01).
Despite the observed heterogeneity, this meta-analysis suggests that auriculotherapy holds promise as a non-pharmacological intervention for alleviating labor pain. Further investigation is warranted to refine auriculotherapy protocols and assess its long-term effects, thereby enhancing its potential as a viable option for labor pain management.
分娩过程中的分娩疼痛带来了重大挑战，需要有效的疼痛管理策略。耳针疗法是一种针对特定耳部穴位的非药物干预措施，已被探索为缓解分娩疼痛的潜在方法。
本系统评价和荟萃分析旨在评估耳针疗法在减轻分娩疼痛强度和提高产妇满意度方面的疗效。
从成立到 2023 年 12 月，我们在 PubMed、Scopus、ScienceDirect 和 Cochrane Library 电子数据库中搜索了随机对照试验（RCT），这些试验调查了耳针疗法作为分娩疼痛管理干预措施的效果。
两名作者根据预设标准（即评估耳针疗法治疗分娩疼痛管理的 RCT）独立进行文献选择。
两名作者独立进行数据提取，使用随机效应模型进行荟萃分析。计算合并均数差（MD）及其 95%置信区间（CI），以估计效应量。
主要结果是视觉模拟量表上测量的分娩疼痛强度。
五项 RCT 共 451 例患者的荟萃分析显示，与无治疗相比，耳针疗法后分娩疼痛显著减轻（MD，-1.78；95%CI，-2.62 至-0.93）。然而，纳入的研究存在显著的异质性（I，87%；<0.01）。
尽管存在观察到的异质性，但这项荟萃分析表明，耳针疗法作为一种减轻分娩疼痛的非药物干预措施具有潜力。需要进一步的研究来完善耳针疗法方案，并评估其长期效果，从而增强其作为分娩疼痛管理可行选择的潜力。
