Self-Acupressure App Eases Fatigue in Ovarian Cancer

A mobile app–based self-acupressure program may help reduce cancer-related fatigue in women with ovarian cancer, according to Susanna M. Zick, professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Michigan.

In a randomized trial of 171 women, 58% of those using true self-acupressure achieved a clinically normal fatigue level at the end of treatment, compared with 51% using sham self-acupressure and 18% receiving usual care alone. Both self-acupressure groups showed significant improvement compared with usual care.

Participants continued whatever fatigue management their providers had recommended. The intervention added a mobile app, delivered on a Kindle, that taught self-acupressure through videos, illustrations and written instructions. The true and sham apps were identical except for the pressure points used.

Participants also received a device that provided ergonomic support and vibrated if too much pressure was applied, helping ensure safe and consistent use.

Transcript

How would you explain the difference between these approaches and what do these results tell patients about what may be helping?

Usual care is what your health care providers tell you to do for fatigue and is considered the standard of care. They might have told you nothing for various reasons, or they might have given suggestions ranging from yoga to medications. We recorded what participants were doing and told them to continue. That was true across all arms. We did not tell anyone to stop what they were already doing. Whether they were in the sham group, the true acupressure group or usual care alone, we wanted to see whether adding this on top of usual care made a difference.

For the true self-acupressure group, we delivered everything through a mobile app developed in collaboration with cancer survivors experiencing fatigue. Participants received either the true app or a placebo app, which we called a sham. The only difference was the points stimulated. In acupressure, you stimulate points with your finger, thumb or a device. The sham used non-acupressure points in similar areas of the body, with the same number of points, time and stimulation.

The apps were designed to teach users through videos, illustrations and written descriptions. Both groups also received a device developed with survivors that made it easier to apply pressure and vibrated if too much pressure was used. It also provided feedback to us about how much pressure participants applied.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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