Investigating the Impact of Foot Reflexology on Severity of Fatigue in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Clinical Trial Study

Background: Fatigue is a debilitating complication in hemodialysis patients. Foot reflexology is one of the complementary medicine techniques with low complications that can control fatigue. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of foot reflexology massage on fatigue severity in hemodialysis patients. Methods: In this clinical trial, 90 patients undergoing hemodialysis at Ali ibn Abi Talib hospital in Zahedan, Iran, in 2017 were randomly selected and then divided into two groups of intervention and control (n = 45 per group). The data collection tools included a demographic checklist and the fatigue severity scale developed by Krupp et al. Foot reflexology massage was performed in the intervention group for half an hour (15 minutes for each foot) by a trained researcher for three consecutive dialysis sessions. After completion of dialysis sessions, a questionnaire was completed as post-test in both groups. For data analysis, independent t-test, paired t-test, and chi-square test were run in SPSS, version 21. Results: There was no significant difference in the mean fatigue scores between the control and intervention groups before foot reflexology massage in the three sessions of dialysis. After the intervention, the independent t-test showed a significant difference in the mean fatigue score between the control and intervention groups (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that foot reflexology massage is an uncomplicated technique for reducing fatigue severity in patients undergoing hemodialysis.