Comparing the effect of warmwater footbath with effleurage and petrissage massages on fatigue of patients undergoing hemodialysis.

Abstract

Background: Few comparative studies have been carried out into the effects of nonpharmacological interventions on reducing fatigue in hemodialysis patients. This study compared the effect of warm footbath with effleurage and petrissage massages on fatigue in hemodialysis patients.

Materials and methods: Seventy patients undergoing hemodialysis referring to two dialysis centers in 2016 were included in this clinical trial study. However, 62 hemodialysis patients finally completed the study. The patients were selected through a nonrandom sampling method, but were later assigned to one of the three groups of warmwater footbath, effleurage, and petrissage massages based on randomized blocked allocation. Using a multidimensional inventory, fatigue was assessed before the commencement of the interventions, at the end of the first and the 2^nd month of the interventions. The data were analyzed using statistical software of SPSS, version 25, through descriptive statistics by running median and Friedman tests with considering 95% confidence interval.

Results: Warmwater footbath, effleurage, and petrissage resulted in a significant reduction or improvement in global fatigue and types of fatigue of patients undergoing hemodialysis at the end of the first and 2^nd month of the interventions (P = 0.001). The results of the between-groups comparison showed that there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in fatigue reduction among the three groups of warmwater footbath, effleurage, and petrissage massages in terms of the median index of fatigue scores.

Conclusion: Warmwater footbath, effleurage, and petrissage massages have similar positive effects on fatigue in patients undergoing hemodialysis.