Aromatherapy Massage for Pain and Xerosis After Repeated Needle Insertion Into a Fistula Arm in Hemodialysis

Gokcen Aydin Akbuga, PhD, RN; Dilek Efe Arslan, PhD, RN; Nazan Kilic Akca, PhD, RN; Sibel Sentürk

Context • Repeated needle insertion into the fistula causes dry skin in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Dry skin can add to the acute pain from needle by increasing skin irritability. Objective • The aim of this study was to determine the effects of aromatherapy massage on acute pain and dry skin following needle insertion into an arteriovenous fistula in patients undergoing HD. Methods • The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial. Setting • The study took place at a dialysis center in a city center in Central Anatolia in Turkey. Participants • Participants were patients with arteriovenous fistulas who were undergoing HD at the dialysis center. Intervention • The 75 patients were randomly divided into 3 groups of 25 each: (1) the aromatherapy massage group received massage 3 times per week for a period of 4 weeks, for 12 sessions in total; (2) the olive-oil massage group also received 12 sessions of massage therapy on the same schedule; (3) the control group received only standard care. Outcome Measures • The study measured pain levels using a visual analog scale (VAS) and skin moisture using a skin moisture analyzer. Results • The mean VAS scores for acute pain of the aromatherapy and olive-oil massage groups postintervention were significantly lower than those of the control group (P < .001). The average skin-moisture scores of the aromatherapy-massage group were significantly higher postintervention and at the eight-week follow-up than those of the control and olive-oil massage groups (P < .01). In addition, at the end of 8 weeks, the mean VAS pain scores were significantly lower and the skin-moisture scores were significantly higher in the aromatherapy-massage group compared to the control and olive-oil massage groups (P < .01). Conclusions • Aromatherapy massage can be an effective nursing practice to manage acute pain and dry skin from needle insertion at the site of an arteriovenous fistula in HD units. Further randomized controlled trials are needed.

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