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Healthcare service utilization and work-related productivity in reflexology intervention for advanced breast cancer women

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Abstract

Purpose

This project’s purpose was to determine the effects of a home-based reflexology intervention on symptom-related use of health services and work-related productivity during the 11-week study.

Methods

A total of 256 patients were randomized to four weekly reflexology sessions (each lasting 30 min, delivered by lay caregivers who received two training sessions by a professional reflexologist) or attention control. The Conventional Health Service and Productivity Costs Form was used to collect information on health service utilization and out-of-pocket expenditure of symptom management. The Health and Work Performance Questionnaire was used to measure workplace performance for patients during the study period. We used weighted and unweighted logistic and linear regression analyses.

Results

Patients in the reflexology group were less likely to have hospital visits compared to the control group in the weighted unadjusted (odds ratio [OR] = 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.25, 0.97]), unweighted adjusted (OR = 0.35; 95% CI = [0.16, 0.75]), and weighted adjusted (OR = 0.30, 95% CI = [0.13, 0.66]) logistic regressions. Compared to attention control, patients in the reflexology group had lower relative absenteeism in the unweighted adjusted (− 0.32; 95% CI = [− 0.60, − 0.03]) linear regressions and less absolute presenteeism (15.42, 95% CI = [0.87, 29.98]) in the weighted unadjusted analysis.

Conclusion

The reflexology intervention delivered by lay caregivers reduced hospital visits and increased workplace productivity in a short-term period, which has potential for cost saving for health care systems and employers.

Trial registration

NCT01582971

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Acknowledgements

The research team would like to thank our dedicated participants who made this study possible.

Funding

This study was funded by the National Cancer Institute (1 R01CA157459), Principal Investigator: G. Wyatt.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, 48824, USA

    Zhehui Luo & Liang Wang

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Department of Statistics and Probability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Alla Sikorskii

  3. College of Nursing, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Gwen Wyatt

Authors
  1. Zhehui Luo
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  2. Liang Wang
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  4. Gwen Wyatt
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Correspondence to Zhehui Luo.

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Appendix

Appendix

Table 5 Demographic characteristics for patients retained versus lost by reflexology and control group
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Luo, Z., Wang, L., Sikorskii, A. et al. Healthcare service utilization and work-related productivity in reflexology intervention for advanced breast cancer women. Support Care Cancer 27, 2837–2847 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-018-4592-4

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