Effect of abdominal massage in preventing ventilator‐associated pneumonia in patients connected to mechanical ventilators: A systematic review

Abstract Background Ventilator‐associated pneumonia (VAP) is one of the common complications in patients in the intensive care unit. Abdominal massage may prevent the development of VAP by reducing residual gastric volume in enterally fed patients. Objective The purpose of this study is to review the literature on randomized controlled and quasi‐experimental studies evaluating the effectiveness of abdominal massage in preventing VAP. Methods The PRISMA‐P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis Protocols) criteria were taken as the basis for creating the protocol of the systematic review and writing the article. The systematic review was performed using the Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL and Cochrane Library databases from December 2023 to January 2024. Studies were selected by determining inclusion and exclusion criteria according to the PICOS method. The studies were evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tool for quality assessment. Results Three randomized controlled and one quasi‐experimental study with a total of 225 participants met the inclusion criteria. The four studies conducted on patients in the intensive care unit showed that abdominal massage reduced VAP. The studies reported no adverse effects of abdominal massage. Conclusion Promising evidence was found for the effect of abdominal massage in preventing VAP. However, scientific studies with larger samples, of higher quality, and using randomized controls and blinding methods are needed to evaluate the unknown dimensions of abdominal massage and determine its beneficial effects on patients. Relevance to Clinical Practice Several non‐pharmacological methods may decrease VAP incidence and mortality. Abdominal massage may decrease VAP incidence and mortality.