Purpose
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of hand acupressure on sleep quality and pruritus in patients on hemodialysis and to propose an effective, evidence-based nursing intervention. Methods: This was a single-blind, placebo-controlled, group comparison study with 40 participants. The intervention was conducted thrice a week for six weeks, and the intervention group (n=20) received hand acupressure on sleep and pruritusrelated acupoints (A1, A3, A8, A12, A16, C5, C8, I2, E8, N5, G11, K9, B19, J2, J5, N9) by attaching Seoambong and pressing with Seoamchimbong. The placebo-controlled group (n=20) received hand acupressure on sites irrelevant to sleep or pruritus in the same way as the intervention group. Data were collected before and six weeks after the intervention. Results: There were significant inter-group differences in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, number of awakenings, and subjective pruritus. However, there were no significant inter-group differences in time of awakenings. Conclusion: Hand acupressure was found to be an effective nursing intervention to improve sleep quality and reduce pruritus in patients on hemodialysis.

Citations

• Effects of hand-press pellet on pain and daily life of elders with chronic lower back pain: randomized controlled trial
  Hyojung Park, Hyejin Lee
  BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef