Effect of Acupressure on Fatigue in Hemodialysis Patients

Effect of Acupressure on Fatigue in Hemodialysis Patients: A Single-blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of acupressure on fatigue in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) as well as assess sleep quality and psychological status HYPOTHESIS TO BE TESTED: Upon intervention completion, the experimental group will exhibit lower severity of fatigue and depression/anxiety and improved sleep quality compared to the control group.

DESIGN AND SUBJECTS: A randomized controlled trial with experimental and control groups. A total of 116 patients with ESRD who screen positive for fatigue severity ≥ 4 (using a single-item indicator of fatigue, which ranges from 0 to 10 points) will be recruited.

STUDY INSTRUMENTS: Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) INTERVENTION: A 4-week acupressure intervention was performed by the principal investigator (PI) for every subject by applying the rate of two rotations per second, three times a week.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary: fatigue. Secondary: sleep quality, depression, and anxiety.

DATA ANALYSIS: Multiple regression was used to analyze between-group differences in BFI and PSQI, while ordinal logistic regression was used to analyze the subscales of the HADS.

EXPECTED RESULTS: The proposed acupressure intervention is useful for alleviating fatigue and related symptoms (sleep quality, depression, and anxiety) experienced by patients with ESRD.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: End-stage Renal Disease
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: True acupressure; Other: Sham acupressure

Detailed Description

The prevalence and impact of fatigue and related symptoms in patients with ESRD have been clearly demonstrated in the literature, which also emphasizes the need for evidence-based interventions targeting symptom management in such patients. The main challenge is identifying an intervention that is not only effective in managing hemodialysis-related symptoms, but also feasible, acceptable, and safe for this patient group. The proposed study primarily aims to test the effects of acupressure intervention on fatigue in ESRD patients receiving HD using the robust study design of a randomized controlled trial.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 116
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Indonesia
  • Central Java
    • Purwokerto, Central Java, Indonesia
      • RS Prof Dr Margono Soekardjo Purwokerto

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 99 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 1. Age ≧ 18 years
• 2. HD therapy for at least 3 months
• 3. Experience of fatigue (fatigue severity ≥ 4, using a single-item indicator of fatigue, ranging from 0 to 10 points)
• 4. Absence of lower limb wounds
• 5. Did not receive any complementary treatment

Exclusion Criteria:

• 1. Diagnosis of major depression or psychiatric disorders
• 2. Wound or amputation of the lower extremities, rheumatoid arthritis, or limb fracture

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: True acupressure; Using three true acupoints. Acupoints: Yongquan (K1), Sayingjiao (SP6), Zusanli (ST36). Patient Position: Lying or sitting position. Time: first 2 hours of HD.	Other: True acupressure; Duration: 3 minutes for each acupoint, applied bilaterally (right and left sides). Total time: 18 minutes/acupressure therapy.
Sham Comparator: Sham acupressure; Using three sham acupoints. Acupoints: Sham acupoints are located on 1 cun from the true acupoint. Patient Position: Lying or sitting position. Time: first 2 hours of HD.	Other: Sham acupressure; Duration: 3 minutes for each acupoint, applied bilaterally (right and left sides). Total time: 18 minutes/acupressure therapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI)	A questionnaire will be used to measure the severity of fatigue in the past 24 hours. This 9-item self-reported questionnaire is scored on a 0-10 numerical rating scale, where 0 and 10 represent absence and the highest severity of fatigue, respectively. The BFI score is classified into mild (1-3 points), moderate (4-6 points), and severe fatigue (7-10 points).	Before the intervention (baseline, T0)
Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI)	A questionnaire will be used to measure the severity of fatigue in the past 24 hours. This 9-item self-reported questionnaire is scored on a 0-10 numerical rating scale, where 0 and 10 represent absence and the highest severity of fatigue, respectively. The BFI score is classified into mild (1-3 points), moderate (4-6 points), and severe fatigue (7-10 points).	Completion of the 4-week intervention (post-test, T1)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)	This 19-item self-reported questionnaire is combined to form seven component scores (subjective sleep quality, latency, duration, habit efficiency, disturbances, medication, and daytime dysfunction). Each of these has a range of 0-3 points added to yield a global score with a range of 0-21. A global score higher than five indicates poor sleep quality.	Before the intervention (baseline, T0)
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)	This 19-item self-reported questionnaire is combined to form seven component scores (subjective sleep quality, latency, duration, habit efficiency, disturbances, medication, and daytime dysfunction). Each of these has a range of 0-3 points added to yield a global score with a range of 0-21. A global score higher than five indicates poor sleep quality.	Completion of the 4-week intervention (post-test, T1)
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale	This 14-item questionnaire will be used to measure psychological status. This 14-item questionnaire has two subscales: anxiety (seven items) and depression (seven items). It is measured on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (very often), with higher scores indicating an increased level of anxiety/depression. The HADS score is classified as severe (16-21 points), moderate (11-15 points), mild (8-10 points), or no anxiety or depression (≤7 points). It is a valid, trustworthy, and easy measurement tool used by health care providers to identify and quantify anxiety and depression.	Before the intervention (baseline, T0)
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale	This 14-item questionnaire will be used to measure psychological status. This 14-item questionnaire has two subscales: anxiety (seven items) and depression (seven items). It is measured on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 3 (very often), with higher scores indicating an increased level of anxiety/depression. The HADS score is classified as severe (16-21 points), moderate (11-15 points), mild (8-10 points), or no anxiety or depression (≤7 points). It is a valid, trustworthy, and easy measurement tool used by health care providers to identify and quantify anxiety and depression.	Completion of the 4-week intervention (post-test, T1)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Woung-Ru Tang
• Collaborators: Harapan Bangsa University; RS Prof. Dr. Margono Soekardjo Purwokerto
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Made Suandika, PhDCandidate, School of Nursing, Harapan Bangsa University, Central Java, Indonesia

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 30, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): November 30, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 30, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 5, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): October 7, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 7, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 5, 2022
• Last Verified: October 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Fatigue; Sleep; End-stage renal disease; Acupressure; Hemodialysis; Anxiety/depression
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Urologic Diseases; Renal Insufficiency; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic; Fatigue; Kidney Diseases; Kidney Failure, Chronic
• Other Study ID Numbers: 3010/KEPK/VII/2019

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No