The Effect of Acupressure on Fatigue | Clinical Trial

Key information

Conditions

Interventional Fatigue Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Mersin Üniversitesi

Mersin, Yenişehir, 33343, Turkey (Türkiye)

About this study

In this study, 68 nursing students were randomly assigned to the acupressure and placebo (sham) acupressure groups. In the acupressure group (n=34), compression was applied to the 7th point of the heart meridian (HT7), the 4th point of the large intestine meridian (LI4), the 36th point of the stomach meridian (ST36), and the 6th point of the spleen meridian (SP6). Depending on the preparation and compression time at each point, the session duration of each student lasted an average of 20 minutes. In the sham group (n=34), pressure was applied approximately 1-1.5 cm away from the HT7, LI4, ST36, SP6 points. In the sham group, the acupressure application time lasted for an average of 20 minutes. At the end of the application, after the data collection process was completed, the sham group was taught the correct acupuncture points. Students applied acupressure three times a week for a total of 12 sessions for four weeks. Data were collected before and four weeks after the application in the acupressure and sham acupressure groups.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Students studying at Mersin University Faculty of Nursing as 4th grade during the data collection date,
Those who agree to participate in the study,
No deformity or lesions in the areas where acupressure will be applied
No acupressure experience
No sleep disorder diagnosis and no medical treatment
No diagnosis of anxiety disorder and no medical treatment No diagnosis of depression and no medical treatment
Coffee, cigarette and alcohol-free,
No mental illness,
Able to understand and speak Turkish and
Those who signed the Informed Consent Form will be included in the study.

Exclusion criteria

Students studying at Mersin University Faculty of Nursing outside the 4th grade during the data collection date,
Those who do not agree to participate in the study,
Those who have any deformity or lesion in the areas where acupressure will be applied
Experienced with acupressure
Diagnosed with sleep disorder and receiving medical treatment
Diagnosed with anxiety disorder and receiving medical treatment
Diagnosed with depression and receiving medical treatment
Coffee, cigarette and alcohol addiction,
Having mental illness,
who cannot understand or speak Turkish
Those who do not sign the Informed Consent Form will not be included in the study.

Treatment and study plan

Acupressure Group

Other

In the acupressure group, acupressure will be applied to the heart meridian 7th point (HT7), large intestine meridian 4th point (LI4), stomach meridian 36th point (ST36) and spleen meridian 6th point (SP6). After pressing each point for a certain period of time, a total of two minutes of rest periods will be applied by the researcher.

Other names: Experimental Group

Sham Acupressure Group

Other

In the sham acupressure group, acupressure will be applied on the bone region where the meridians do not pass, approximately 1-1.5 cm away from the HT7, LI4, ST36, SP6 points. The application process will continue in the same way with acupressure group and the pressure intensity will be less.

Other names: Sham Group

Primary outcomes

Fatigue evaluated using the Fatigue Severity Scale

Time frame: Change from before implementation and 4th week of practice

It is a Likert-type scale consisting of a total of nine items, each item being evaluated between 1 and 7 (1=I totally disagree, 7=I totally agree). The fatigue score is obtained by dividing the total score obtained from the scale by the number of scale items. The score that can be obtained from the scale varies between 9 and 63. A high score indicates an increased level of fatigue.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Mersin University

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of Acupressure on Fatigue in Nursing Students: A Randomized Controlled Study

Important dates

Study start: 2021
Primary completion: 2021
Study completion: 2022
First posted: Apr 20, 2022
Registry last updated: Apr 20, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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Completed