THE EFFECT OF SU-JOK THERAPY APPLIED TO INTENSİVE CARE PATIENTS UNDER MECHANICVENTILATION SUPPORT

THE EFFECT OF SU-JOK THERAPY APPLIED TO INTENSIVE CARE PATIENTS UNDER MECHANICAL VENTILATION SUPPORT ON PAIN AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS.

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of Su Jok Therapy, applied to patients receiving mechanical ventilation support in the intensive care unit, on pain and physiological parameters.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Intensive Care Unit Patients
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: su jok therapy group; Other: Placebo Group

Detailed Description

Mechanical ventilation (MV), one of the most common treatment methods in Intensive Care Units (ICUs), is a critical treatment approach to ensure adequate respiratory function in patients.

Although mechanical ventilation is a life-saving treatment method in ICUs, it can cause many physiological and psychological problems for patients. Furthermore, excessive exposure to physical, psychosocial, and environmental stressors can affect the patient's autonomic response and vital parameters (tachycardia, hypertension, tachypnea), leading to hemodynamic instability

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Integrated, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Practices as the provision of healthcare services that are not part of a country's own tradition or conventional medicine and are not fully integrated into the dominant healthcare system In intensive care patients, non-pharmacological methods such as aromatherapy, music therapy, massage, reflexology, acupressure, and Reiki are used as complementary and alternative treatments. Su Jok, one of these non-pharmacological methods, is an alternative treatment method based on traditional Korean medicine. Su Jok is a treatment method that uses the feet and hands, derived from the Korean words Su (hand) and Jok (foot). In the literature, it is argued that nurses can apply Su Jok therapy as an integrative method in symptom management due to its simplicity of application, lack of side effects, and non-invasiveness, which is similar to the philosophy of integrative nursing. Looking at the literature, very few studies on Su Jok therapy have been found. No studies have been found in the literature regarding the effect of Su Jok therapy on intensive care patients and patients on mechanical ventilation support.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Kahramanmaraş
    • Kahramanmaraş, Kahramanmaraş, Turkey (Türkiye), 46050
      • Kahramanmaraş

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients who are in intensive care,

  • Patients receiving IMV support,
  • Patients who were admitted to the ICU from the start date of the study and are planned to be monitored for at least 24 hours,
  • Patients without any problems in the area where Su-Jok will be applied,
  • Patients with GCS > 3, RASS between +1 and +4, BPS > 3

Exclusion Criteria:

• • Patients in the ward,

  • Patients with any problems such as fungal infections or wounds in the area where Su Jok will be applied,
  • Patients with a GCS of 3,
  • Patients not receiving IMV support will not be included in the study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; No intervention will be applied to the control group.
Experimental: Intervetion group; In the intervention group, su-jok seed therapy will be applied to the su-jok reflection zones on the hands.	Other: su jok therapy group; In the intervention group, the reflex zones on the hands were identified with a probe. Buckwheat seeds were fixed to these areas with adhesive tape and massaged. The seeds remained in place for 4 hours. After 2 hours, these areas were stimulated with a 1-2 minute massage. Measurements were recorded on a data collection form. The application was carried out for 3 days.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo group; In the placebo group, su-jok seed therapy will be applied to areas on the hands that are different from the reflection zones.	Other: Placebo Group; In the placebo group, reflex zones on the hand were identified using a probe. Buckwheat seeds were fixed to a different area near these zones with a seed patch and massaged. The seeds remained in place for 4 hours. After 2 hours, these areas were stimulated with a 1-2 minute massage. Measurements were recorded on a data collection form. The application was carried out for 3 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Systolic Blood Pressure	Hemodynamic response measured by systolic blood pressure	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Heart Rate (Pulse Rate)	Heart rate measured in beats per minute	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Oxygen Saturation (SpO₂)	Peripheral oxygen saturation	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Body Temperature	Core body temperature	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Respiratory Rate	Number of breaths per minute	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS)	Negative scores indicate sedation, positive scores indicate agitation	baseline, 1 hour, 4 hours after intervention
Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS)	Higher scores indicate more severe pain	baseline, 1 hour, 4 hours after intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hemodynamic Stability Index (Systolic/Diastolic Blood Pressure Change)	Change in systolic and diastolic blood pressure from baseline to post-intervention measurements.	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Oxygenation Trend (SpO₂ Change Over Time)	hanges in peripheral oxygen saturation over the intervention period.	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Heart Rate Variability (Clinical Pulse Trend)	Changes in heart rate measured in beats per minute during and after intervention.	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Sedation-Agitation Level Stability (RASS Trend)	Changes in Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS) scores over time indicating sedation or agitation level.	baseline, 1 hour, 4 hours after intervention
Pain Intensity Change (Behavioral Pain Scale Trend)	Changes in Behavioral Pain Scale (BPS) scores indicating pain severity over time.	baseline, 1 hour, 4 hours after intervention
Respiratory Stability (Respiratory Rate Change)	Changes in respiratory rate indicating respiratory stability during intervention.	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Temperature Stability	hanges in body temperature over time following intervention.	baseline, 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 4 hours after intervention
Non-pharmacological Intervention Effectiveness (Overall Clinical Stability Score)	Composite assessment of physiological stability based on vital signs and sedation/pain scores.	baseline, 4 hours after intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hasan Kalyoncu University
• Investigators: Study Chair: NERMİN OLGUN, Prof. Dr., Hasan Kalyoncu University; Principal Investigator: MELTEM KALAYCI, Hasan Kalyoncu University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): November 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 30, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 8, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 8, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 2, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: pain; Intensive Care Unit; PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS; SU-JOK THERAPY
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Pain
• Other Study ID Numbers: HKU-LEE-MK-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

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