Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Focus Alternat Complement Ther©2005 Pharmaceutical Press
Focus Altern Complement Ther 2004; 9: 27–8
Open randomised study to determine whether or not a brief hypnotic intervention during first-trimester surgical abortion reduces requests for pain medication.
Thirty women undergoing first-trimester surgical abortion at the family planning clinic of a large hospital in Quebec City were randomised into a control group that received standard care and a hypnosis group that received, in addition to standard care, an intervention of hypnosis, including analgesia suggestions 20 min before and throughout the surgical procedure. Patients in both groups were allowed to control their pain with nitrous oxide (NO) sedation administered through a nose mask as often and for as long as they wanted during the procedure. NO sedation as the primary outcome was assessed at each step of the procedure. The patient’s self-reported anxiety and pain were also assessed during the procedure as secondary outcomes.
Thirty-six per cent of patients in the hypnosis group requested NO sedation during the procedure vs. 87% in the control group (P < 0.01). No differences between the groups were found in terms of their experience of pain and anxiety during the procedure.
Our results suggest that hypnosis can be integrated into standard care and may reduce the need for NO by patients undergoing first-trimester surgical abortion.
Supported by the Chaire Lucie et André Chagnon pour l’avancement d’une approche intégrée en santé, Hôpital St-François d’Assise, CHUQ, Université Laval, Quebec City, PQ, Canada.
