This study aimed to determine the effect of hand massage in patients who underwent transradial percutaneous coronary intervention.

This was a quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group and non-synchronized design. The study included 30 patients in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. Hand massage was performed 2 times for 5 minutes each in the experimental group and the control group only received usual nursing interventions. Pain, level of discomfort, and vital signs were defined as key outcome measures, and the data were analyzed using the chi-square test, an independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, repeated-measures analysis of variance, and Friedman test.

Significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in the pain score (F=7.91, p=.003), discomfort score (F=18.15, p<.001), pulse (F=12.92, p<.001), and respiration rate (χ ²=19.35, p<.001).

Hand massage can be a helpful nursing intervention for transradial percutaneous coronary intervention by reducing pain and discomfort to a considerable degree.