Study protocol
pain, anxiety, blindness
BLINDNESS
Patients were presented with the study protocol, allowed a 24-h decision period, and given an information and consent form they had to sign. Patients who agreed to take part in the study were randomized to FR or MT. Both treatments involved the foot only, to maintain patient blindness until the end of the protocol. Patients in the MT group were then offered an out-of-protocol FR session. The flowchart is shown in Fig. Flowchart.The session was performed by a caregiver trained in FR and MT. The patient was made comfortable, either lying on their back, in a half-sitting position in bed, or sitting in a chair. The procedure lasted 15–20 min, was performed with sweet almond oil and was accompanied by soft music. The treatment was a method with sliding movements on the reflex zones. It was applied in two phases: a relaxation phase where the areas corresponding to the diaphragm and the rib cage were worked on, followed by a more specific phase where anxiety, pain and sleep quality were worked on according to the patient's needs (areas of the brain, intestines, musculoskeletal system, sinuses, solar plexus, urinary tract, and lungs), and ending with a further relaxation phase.The survey was carried out by means of questionnaires, filled in by the patient either alone or with the help of a member of the team, 24 h before the session, just before the session, and 24 h after the session. Consumption of analgesics and anxiolytics was recorded 24 h before and 24 h after the session (the survey recorded the consumption or not of "on-demand" treatments, present in advance prescriptions: benzodiazepines, neuroleptics, paracetamol, opioids, and co-analgesics).