Effect of Auricular Acupressure on Sleep Quality in Nurses

Background: Nursing staff face various pressures, shift systems, household responsibilities, and hormonal changes within the medical environment. They frequently experience issues such as sleep deprivation and inadequate rest, which can result in diminished work performance and increased fatigue. This, in turn, indirectly impacts the quality of care provided and heightens the risk to patient safety. Aim: Effect of Auricular Acupressure on Improving Sleep Quality in Nurses Methods: Adopting a quasi-experimental research design and convenience sampling, nursing staff from a northern medical center who scored 5 or higher on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale were selected as research subjects. Eligible participants were assigned to either the experimental group (auricular acupoint sticking) or the control group (no intervention). In the experimental group, the Shenmen point (MA-TF1) and Xin point (Xin MA) on both ears were treated with Wangbuliuxing seeds. Initially, the seeds were applied to the left ear for seven days, after which they were switched to the corresponding acupoints on the right ear. Following application, the seeds were pressed daily, once after each meal, with each acupoint being stimulated for 1 minute.Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale were measured on the day of application, as well as during the fourth and eighth weeks. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 29.0 for Windows. Statistical analyses included percentages, means, chi-square tests, paired t-tests, independent t-tests, and generalized estimating equations to compare differences in sleep quality between the two groups.

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 18
• Nurses whose score on Pittsburgh Scale is greater than 5.
• Those who are conscious, can communicate in Mandarin and Taiwanese, and answer the questionnaires in writing or orally, agree to participate in this study and sign the subject consent form.

Exclusion criteria

• People with mental illness
• infection or skin breakouts around the ears