The Effect of Acupressure on Dyspnea and Anxiety Levels (nursing)

The Aim of This Study is to Determine the Effect of Acupressure Applied to Individuals with COPD on Dyspnea and Anxiety: It is Important for the Transfer of Nonpharmacological Methods to Clinical Applications

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of acupressure applied to individuals with COPD on dyspnea and anxiety. It is important for the transfer of nonpharmacological methods to clinical applications.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: acupressure application

Detailed Description

The pathophysiological changes that occur in the airways and alveoli in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can cause many symptoms such as dyspnea, cough and sputum, which restrict the daily lives of individuals. Dyspnea and anxiety are at the top of the list among these symptoms, which affect individuals in many ways and limit them in many areas. While physiological, psychological and sociological factors cause dyspnea, the anxiety that develops in patients along with dyspnea also accompanies the symptoms. These symptoms seen in individuals with COPD not only negatively affect the quality of life of individuals, but also bring about psychological, cognitive, economic and social problems. Therefore, reducing anxiety and dyspnea in patients with COPD is of great importance in controlling the symptoms. Recently, acupressure has been frequently preferred among non-pharmacological methods in symptom control. As a result of studies conducted with different patient groups in the literature, it has been stated that acupressure reduces dyspnea and anxiety levels. In this study, five tools will be used: Patient Identification Form, Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale (MBS), Medical Research Council (MRC) Dyspnea Scale, Beck Anxiety Scale (BAÖ) and Patient Follow-up Schedule. Individuals will be applied acupressure once a day for two minutes at LI4, HT7, LU1, ST36 points, for a total of 20 sessions. It is of great importance for nurses to follow current care methods, include them in nursing care and improve themselves in this regard. No current study has been found in the literature investigating the effect of acupressure applied to individuals with COPD on dyspnea and anxiety. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of acupressure applied to individuals with COPD on dyspnea and anxiety.

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

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Adana, Turkey
    • Çukurova University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Patients who are literate,

Have moderate and severe stage COPD according to GOLD criteria,

Score 8 and above on the Beck Anxiety Inventory,

Patients who volunteer to participate in the study will be included in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients using psychiatric medication (anxiolytic, antidepressant), Those with serious pulmonary, cardiological or malignant diseases, Those with vision and hearing problems, Those with communication problems, Those with nerve, soft tissue and vascular diseases in the areas where acupressure will be applied, Those with infections and surgical operations in the areas where acupressure will be applied, Patients in the exacerbation period were not included in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Sequential Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: acupressure; The intervention group will receive acupressure at points LI4, HT7, LU1 and ST36, two minutes, once a day, 5 days a week, for 1 month.	Behavioral: acupressure application; Acupressure massage will be applied to LI4, HT7, LU1 and ST 36 acupuncture points for 2 minutes.
No Intervention: control group; No application will be made to the control group. Only pre-test and post-test will be applied.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Effect of acupressure on dyspnea and anxiety in individuals with COPD	The Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale (MBS) was developed in 1982 by Gunnar Borg to define the intensity of physical activity. The original Borg scale is scored between 6-20. In 1986, the "American College of Sports Medicine" revised the scale by scoring between 0-10. Although the Modified Borg Scale is frequently used today to define the severity of exertional dyspnea, it is also a scale that can be used to evaluate the severity of resting dyspnea. The fact that there are various definitions in the Modified Borg Scale (MBS) makes it easier for patients to apply.	through study completion, an average of 1 year
Effect of acupressure on dyspnea and anxiety in individuals with COPD	Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale (MRC) The Medical Research Council (MRC) Dyspnea Scale was first used by Fletcher in 1952 to compare the severity of dyspnea during activity in people with and without lung disease. Later, the British Medical Research Council (MRC) introduced this scale in a more developed form to monitor the natural course of the disease. The dyspnea scale was created based on various physical activities that cause dyspnea. It consists of a total of 5 items and is a 1-5 point scale. The patient reads the scale options and selects the most appropriate degree that describes respiratory distress. In the MRC dyspnea scale, 1 describes the best dyspnea and 5 describes the worst. High scores on the scale indicate that the severity of shortness of breath is high.	through study completion, an average of 1 year
Effect of acupressure on dyspnea and anxiety in individuals with COPD	Beck Anxiety Inventory The Beck Anxiety Inventory is a three-point Likert-type assessment scale consisting of 21 items that measures the frequency of anxiety symptoms experienced by an individual (0=none, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe). The highest score that can be obtained from the scale is 63. The high total score indicates the severity of anxiety. A score between 0-7 indicates "minimal anxiety", 8-15 indicates "mild anxiety", 16-25 indicates "moderate anxiety", and 26-63 indicates "severe anxiety". The scale was developed by Beck and his colleagues in 1988 and its validity and reliability in Turkish were performed by Ulusoy, Şahin, and Erkmen in 1996, and the Cronbach's α value was reported to be 0.93.	through study completion, an average of 1 year
Effect of acupressure on dyspnea and anxiety in individuals with COPDThe schedule was prepared for the intervention group and will be used throughout the intervention.	Patient Follow-up Schedule Patients in the intervention group were followed up by phone calls every week to ensure regular and continuous acupressure application. The patient follow-up schedule was created by the researcher to record any problems with acupressure application and to provide the necessary information.	through study completion, an average of 1 year
KOAH'lı bireylerde uygulanan akupresürün dispne ve anksiyete üzerine etkisi	The Modified Borg Dyspnea Scale (MBS) was developed in 1982 by Gunnar Borg to define the intensity of physical activity. The original Borg scale is scored between 6-20. In 1986, the "American College of Sports Medicine" revised the scale by scoring between 0-10. Although the Modified Borg Scale is frequently used today to define the severity of exertional dyspnea, it is also a scale that can be used to evaluate the severity of resting dyspnea. The fact that there are various definitions in the Modified Borg Scale (MBS) makes it easier for patients to apply.	through study completion, an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: ÇİĞDEM ERGİN
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: songül k karadağ, Cukurova Universty

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 15, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): January 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 15, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 9, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 20, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 20, 2024
• Last Verified: December 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Chronic Disease; Disease Attributes; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Respiration Disorders; Signs and Symptoms, Respiratory; Lung Diseases, Obstructive; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Dyspnea
• Other Study ID Numbers: 0000-0002-3458-1670

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Pre- and post-implementation results of intervention and control group scales (statistical analysis). Participants' descriptive characteristics and participant consent form.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Once published, the data is available indefinitely.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: data can be shared publicly.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No