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

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.