EFFECTIVENESS OF MASSAGE VIBRATORY EMESIS (MVE) AS A NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL NURSING INTERVENTION FOR NAUSEA AND VOMITING DURING PREGNANCY: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

Nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) significantly affect pregnant women's quality of life. Manual P6 acupressure lacks standardized pressure and frequency. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Massage Vibratory Emesis (MVE), a standardized wearable vibration device, in reducing NVP severity. A prospective, non-randomized quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest control group design was conducted involving 210 pregnant women (105 in the MVE group and 105 in the control group). The intervention group received MVE application at the P6 point for 15–20 minutes daily for seven consecutive days, while the control group received routine antenatal care. NVP severity was measured pre- and post-intervention using the modified 24-hour Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis (PUQE-24) scale. Data were analyzed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank and Mann-Whitney U tests. Both groups showed baseline comparability (p > 0.05). Post-intervention, the MVE group demonstrated a significant reduction in NVP score from a median of 15.00 (IQR: 14.00–17.00) to 8.00 (IQR: 8.00–10.00) (p < 0.001, r = 0.87), whereas the control group changed from 15.00 (IQR: 13.00–16.00) to 13.00 (IQR: 12.00–14.00) (p < 0.001, r = 0.54). Between-group analysis revealed that the score reduction was significantly greater in the MVE group (Z = -11.703, p < 0.001, r = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.754-0.849). MVE is an effective, non-pharmacological nursing intervention to relieve NVP severity. Its standardized stimulation provides substantial clinical benefit, making it a viable complementary therapy in maternity nursing care.