Abstract:

Purpose: We aimed to find out whether there would be any change in dialysis anxiety of the patients with chronic renal failure receiving hemodialysis treatment when we taught such patients to breathe properly to overcome dialysis anxiety. Materials and Methodology: To reduce the dialysis anxiety of 178 hemodialysis patients in Başkent University İstanbul Dialysis Center who had chronic renal failure and who had to undergo hemodialysis treatment and did not want to come to dialysis. Related to reduction of anxiety of the patients with chronic renal failure receiving hemodialysis treatment; eight sessions of Proper Breathing Exercises were given to fifteen patients consisting of 5 female patients and 10 male patients regularly one session per week for 1.5 hour subject to their acceptance STAI-1, STAI-2 Tests have been provided to our patients before and after treatment. In this study, statistical analyses have been conducted with NCSS 2007 Statistical Software package program.The descriptive statistical methods and independent t test in comparison of two groups of variables exhibiting normal distribution, matched t test in pre-treatment and post-treatment comparisons and Pearson Correlation test in identification of relationships of variables have been used in data evaluation. Results have been evaluated on significance p<0.05 level. This study has been approved by Başkent University, Medicine and Health Sciences Research Board and sponsored by Başkent University Research Fund. Findings: Post-treatment State Anxiety Scale score averages have been found statistically and significantly low before the treatment. (p=0.0001). Post-treatment Trait Anxiety Scale score averages have been statistically and significantly low before the treatment (p=0.0001). In addition, patients; according to education, gender and age, state and trait anxiety were found to be statistically lower after treatment (p = 0.0001). Conclusion: Post-treatment instantaneous and trait anxieties of our patients have been found statistically low before the treatment. Instantaneous and trait anxieties of male and female patients have been statistically and significant low before the treatment.It has been determined that instantaneous and trait scores of primary and high school group are statistically and significant low. It has been concluded that relaxation therapy by proper breathing application can be convenient and can be recommended for reducing instantaneous and trait anxieties of our patients during dialysis session. 

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