The Effect of Breathing Exercise Applied to Intensive Care Nurses on Fatigue and Perceived Stress

The Effect of Breathing Exercise Applied to Intensive Care Nurses on Fatigue and Perceived Stress: A Randomized Controlled Study

The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to investigate the effect of breathing exercise on fatigue and stress in intensive care nurses.

Hypotheses of the study; H11: The level of perceived stress in nurses practicing breathing exercise is lower than the nurses in the control group.

H12: The level of fatigue is lower in nurses practicing breathing exercise compared to nurses in the control group.

Data will be collected in the intervention and control groups with a pre-test data collection form before the intervention. Patients in the intervention group will be given breathing exercises, while patients in the control group will not receive any intervention. In the second week, interim follow-up data will be collected with the data collection form. At the end of the study; data will be collected from the intervention and control groups with post-test data collection forms.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Breathing Exercises; Critical Care Nursing
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Experimental: Breathing Exercise Application Group

Detailed Description

In line with the randomization list, nurses will be assigned to the intervention and control groups in line with the inclusion criteria. The nurses will be informed about the study and their written and verbal consent will be obtained to participate in the study. Data will be collected from the nurses in the intervention and control groups with a pre-test data collection form. The nurses in the intervention group will be given breathing exercise practice, while the patients in the control group will not be subjected to any intervention. In the research; triple breathing technique (full yogic breathing) and 4-7-8 breathing technique will be used. In the intervention group, the nurses will first be told face-to-face about the breathing practice and have them do it. Then, face-to-face practice will be done three days a week, and on the other days, an audio recording of the breathing exercise will be sent by the researcher to the nurses via WhatsApp and they will be practiced daily. Breathing exercise will continue for 30 days in the intervention group. Follow-up data will be collected from the control and intervention group on the 15th day as an interim follow-up (with Piper fatigue scale and perceived stress scale). On the 30th day, the research will be finalized by collecting the post-test data. At the end of the study, the nurses in the control group will be shown and practiced breathing exercises.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 60
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Yasemin SAZAK; Phone Number: 05414474944; Email: yasemin.sazak@istiklal.edu.tr

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Kahramanmaraş, Turkey
    • Recruiting
    • Kahramanmaraş Istiklal Universty
    • Contact: Yasemin SAZAK; Phone Number: 05414474944
    • Principal Investigator: Yasemin SAZAK
    • Contact: Email: yasemin.sazak@istiklal.edu.tr
    • Sub-Investigator: Meltem KALAYCI
    • Sub-Investigator: Nermin OLGUN

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Working in intensive care for at least 6 months
• Volunteering to participate in the research
• Not practicing any complementary therapies during the study, such as breathing exercises, acupuncture, massage therapy, relaxation techniques and yoga, which may be effective on perceived stress and fatigue

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having a problem that prevents nasal breathing and prevents breathing exercises
• Being pregnant
• Experiencing physical and mental health problems that prevent communication

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; There will be no intervention for individuals in this group.
Experimental: Breathing Exercise Application Group; Nurses in the intervention group will be made to practice breathing exercises. The breathing exercise will first be explained to the nurses face-to-face and they will be made to do it. Then, face-to-face practice will be done three days a week, and on the other days, the audio recording of the breathing exercise will be sent by the researcher to the nurses via WhatsApp and they will be practiced daily. The breathing exercise will continue for 30 days.	Behavioral: Experimental: Breathing Exercise Application Group; The Effect of Breathing Exercise Applied to Intensive Care Nurses on Fatigue and Perceived Stress

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Piper Fatigue Scale	The scale was developed by Piper et al. in 1987 to assess fatigue with the "integrated fatigue model". The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Can et al. in 2004. The PMS consists of a total of 22 items, each rated on a 0-10 point Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and four sub-dimensions that assess the patient's subjective perception of fatigue.	0 days
Piper Fatigue Scale	The scale was developed by Piper et al. in 1987 to assess fatigue with the "integrated fatigue model". The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Can et al. in 2004. The PMS consists of a total of 22 items, each rated on a 0-10 point Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and four sub-dimensions that assess the patient's subjective perception of fatigue.	15 days
Piper Fatigue Scale	The scale was developed by Piper et al. in 1987 to assess fatigue with the "integrated fatigue model". The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Can et al. in 2004. The PMS consists of a total of 22 items, each rated on a 0-10 point Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and four sub-dimensions that assess the patient's subjective perception of fatigue.	30 days
Perceived Stress Scale	The Perceived Stress Scale was developed by Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein in 1983 and was designed to measure the extent to which people perceive the situations in their lives as stressful. The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Mehmet Eskin et al. in 2013. It consists of 14 items and 2 sub-dimensions. In the 14-item perceived stress scale, scores range from 0 to 56. A high score in the questionnaire indicates a high perception of stress.	0 days
Perceived Stress Scale	The Perceived Stress Scale was developed by Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein in 1983 and was designed to measure the extent to which people perceive the situations in their lives as stressful. The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Mehmet Eskin et al. in 2013. It consists of 14 items and 2 sub-dimensions. In the 14-item perceived stress scale, scores range from 0 to 56. A high score in the questionnaire indicates a high perception of stress.	15 days
Perceived Stress Scale	The Perceived Stress Scale was developed by Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein in 1983 and was designed to measure the extent to which people perceive the situations in their lives as stressful. The Turkish validity and reliability study of the scale was conducted by Mehmet Eskin et al. in 2013. It consists of 14 items and 2 sub-dimensions. In the 14-item perceived stress scale, scores range from 0 to 56. A high score in the questionnaire indicates a high perception of stress.	30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 21, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 10, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): January 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: October 12, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 12, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): October 15, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 5, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 4, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Nurse; Stress; Intensive care
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Respiratory Aspiration
• Other Study ID Numbers: IstiklalU-YSazak-002

Drug and device information, study documents

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