REIKI APPLICATION PAIN, FATIGUE AND ITCHING IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF REIKI APPLICATION ON PAIN, FATIGUE AND ITCHING IN HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

The research sample consisted of 74 individuals, including the intervention group (n=37) and the control group (n=37), who received hemodialysis treatment at Sivas Cumhuriyet University Application and Research Hospital Hemodialysis Unit, Sivas Numune Hospital Hemodialysis Unit and Private ONR Dialysis Center. The data of the study were collected using the Patient Description Form, the Patient Clinical Parameters Form (Some Treatment Data and Laboratory Results, Measurement of Pain Intensity), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), McGill Melzack Pain Questionnaire, Piper Fatigue Scale, and 5-D Itch Scale. A total of 10 sessions of reiki were applied to the patients in the intervention group twice a week for 5 weeks, lasting 40-45 minutes during dialysis. No treatment was applied to the control group. The scales were administered to the individuals in the intervention and control groups three times in total.

Inclusion Criteria:

• The research sample consisted of patients who had no difficulties in communicating and had no mental problems, who had undergone hemodialysis treatment for at least one year, who were 18 years of age or older and who agreed to participate in the study, who did not receive complementary alternative treatment for symptom management, and who experienced symptoms of fatigue, itching and pain.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Those younger than 18 years of age, those receiving hemodialysis treatment for less than a year, those with communication difficulties, those with psychiatric problems, and those who wanted to leave the study were not included in the study.