Effect of Acupressure on Fatigue in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Aims: The study was conducted to reveal the effect of acupressure on fatigue in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Methodology: This semi-experimental study was conducted by performing pretest-posttest and repeated measurements using an interventional and a control group at the Pulmonary Diseases Clinic of Erzincan Mengucek Gazi Training and Research Hospital between November 2015 and May 2017. The study sample consisted of a total of 80 patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 40 in the interventional group and 40 in the control group. The data were collected using a patient description form consisting of the socio-demographic characteristics of the patients, the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma Fatigue Scale and the Fatigue Severity Scale. Results: In the intergroup assessment of the interventional and control groups with respect to their mean fatigue scores, the mean fatigue score of the patients in the interventional group that underwent acupressure was found to be lower than that of the control group. Conclusions: The acupressure procedure was found effective in reducing fatigue in subjects with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.