Background: Fatigue is one problem that is seen in high numbers in hemodialysis patients. Fatigue decreases quality of life by negatively affecting an individual's daily performance, activities, professional life, relations with family and friends, and treatment process.
Objective: This study was carried out to determine the effect of acupressure on the level of fatigue in hemodialysis patients.
Methods/design: The study was conducted as experimental research with an acupressure (intervention) group and a control group.
Setting: The research, for which an ethics committee's approval and institutional permission was obtained, was conducted in two central provinces of Turkey, Nevşehir and Aksaray, at two hemodialysis centers with similar characteristics.
Participants: The research was completed with a total of 118 participants (52 in the intervention group and 66 in the control group) who met the inclusion criteria.
Interventions: A total of 12 acupressure sessions, 3 ×/wk for 1 mo, were performed for all participants in the intervention group, as required by the acupressure application protocol, applying acupressure at the Stomach 36 (ST-36), Gallbladder 34 (GB-34), Spleen 6 (SP-6), and Kidney 1 (K-1) acupuncture points with a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) acupuncture pen (XFT-320 acupuncture pen, Shenzhen Xunfegtong Electronics Co, Ltd, Shenzhen, China).
Primary outcome measures: A visual analog scale (VAS) for fatigue and the Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) were used to evaluate the fatigue level of the participants before and after the acupressure application.
Results: After the acupressure applications for 1 mo, the subscale and total fatigue scores for the VAS (P < .001) and PFS were lower (P < .05) for participants in the intervention group compared to the controls, except for the cognitive subscale on the PFS (P < .05).
Conclusions: The study found that acupressure, applied using an acupuncture pen, was effective in decreasing fatigue in hemodialysis patients. Based on this result, the current research team suggests that hemodialysis patients and nurses should be informed about acupressure application so as to extend the use of acupressure in reducing fatigue symptoms.