The effect of foot reflexology and back massage on hemodialysis patients' fatigue and sleep quality

• Foot reflexology and back massage improved the sleep quality and reduced the fatigue of hemodialysis patients.
• Foot reflexology is more effective than back massage for sleep quality and fatigue.

ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of foot reflexology and back massage on optimizing the sleep quality and reducing the fatigue of hemodialysis patients.MethodsThe study includes 105 volunteer patients who were registered at a private dialysis clinic and were receiving hemodialysis treatment. Foot reflexology and back massage were administered to the patients two times a week for four weeks. The Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index were used to collect data.ResultsThe differences between the pretest and posttest score averages of the patients on the Visual Analogue Scale for Fatigue and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index were statistically significant (p < 0.001).ConclusionFoot reflexology and back massage were shown to improve the sleep quality and reduce the fatigue of hemodialysis patients. Compared to back massage, foot reflexology was determined to be more effective.