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The Effect of Foot Reflexology Applied on Dialysis Patients

The Effect of Foot Reflexology Applied to Dialysis Patients on Quality of Life and Symptom Control: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04756999
Enrollment
40
Registered
2021-02-16
Start date
2020-01-12
Completion date
2021-06-20
Last updated
2022-06-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Nursing Caries

Keywords

reflexology, dialysis, nursing care

Brief summary

Reflexology is massage therapy used to maintain and improve health, as well as relieve some symptoms. Foot reflexology, which is thought to have an effect on dialysis symptoms, will be applied to hemodialysis patients in 9 sessions. In this study, it is aimed to determine the effect of foot reflexology applied to dialysis patients on sleep, anxiety and quality of life.

Detailed description

Reflexology is defined as a holistic treatment based on stimulating the nerves and blood circulation in the body by manually stimulating the reflex points in the hands and feet corresponding to all parts of the body, organs and systems. In the literature, there are many studies conducted in different samples to evaluate the effectiveness of reflexology massage. Hemodialysis patients are also included in these samples. Hemodialysis patients are faced with many physical and emotional symptoms such as lifestyle changes, psychosocial effects, side effects due to treatment, during their treatment process. Nurses play an important role in alleviating and eliminating these complaints. Objective: It is aimed to determine the effect of foot reflexology applied to dialysis patients on sleep, anxiety and quality of life. Design: Randomized, controlled, prospective study. Setting: University Hospital Hemodialysis Center in Izmir. Patients: Forty patients receiving hemodialysis treatment. Interventions: Nine sessions of reflexology massage will be given to reflex points including the solar plexus, brain, pituitary, thyroid, diaphragm, upper lymphs, lung, spinal cord and adrenal glands. Main Outcome Measures: sleep, anxiety, and quality of life.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALmassage therapy

Reflexology is massage therapy used to maintain and improve health, as well as relieve some symptoms.

Sponsors

Dokuz Eylul University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)

Masking description

Single Blind Randomised Controlled Trial

Intervention model description

Randomised Controlled Trial

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Conscious and oriented with no communication problem * Agreeing to participate in the study * Receiving hemodialysis treatment 3 times a week for 6 months or more * Patients who have no problem to apply massage; Those who do not have any skin lesions, burns, pathological diseases related to muscles and bones, phlebitis, embolism or bleeding disorder.

Exclusion criteria

* Patients who have received hemodialysis treatment for less than 6 months. * Patients with diabetic neuropathy * Those who have any skin lesions, burns, open wounds, muscle and bone-related pathological disease, phlebitis, embolism or bleeding disorder in the foot. * Patients with infection

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
sleepnine sessions of foot reflexology massage will be given to reflex points including the solar plexus, brain, pituitary, thyroid, diaphragm, upper lymphs, lung, spinal cord and adrenal glands for 3 weeks.improvement in sleep quality. The patients' sleep quality score were collected by the Richard-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire. The scale has a 100-mm line with words describing the poorest possible sleep (0 mm) to the best possible sleep (100 mm).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
anxietynine sessions of foot reflexology massage will be given to reflex points including the solar plexus, brain, pituitary, thyroid, diaphragm, upper lymphs, lung, spinal cord and adrenal glands for 3 weeks.reduce anxiety. The patients' anxiety score data were collected by the State Anxiety Inventory. It is a 20-item scale. The scores in the inventory range from 20 to 80. Higher points show a higher level of anxiety.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026