Impact of Natural Chinese Medicine Acupoint Application on Anxiety in Long-Term Hemodialysis Patients and Analysis of the Corresponding Nursing Measures

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of natural herbal acupoint application on anxiety in long-term hemodialysis patients and analyze the corresponding nursing measures. Between March 2020 and January 2022, 150 long-term hemodialysis patients admitted to our hospital were surveyed for this study. A questionnaire survey was conducted to determine the anxiety status of the patients. Patients with anxiety were registered and randomly divided into a research group and a control group. The control group received traditional routine nursing care, while the research group received personalized interventional nursing care combined with natural herbal acupoint application. The comfort level, sleep quality, emotional management ability, and negative emotional status before and after the intervention were compared between the two groups. The 58 (38.66%) patients who experienced anxiety were divided into control and research groups, with 29 patients per group. No significant differences in baseline characteristics were detected between the two groups (P >0.05). The research group had significantly higher General Comfort Questionnaire (GCQ) scores and significantly lower Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores compared with the scores in the control group (P <0.05 for both). The research group had higher scores in emotional processing, interpersonal relationships, and psychological activity management than the control group, indicating better emotional management ability (P <0.05). Moreover, the research group had significantly lower scores on the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) than the control group (P <0.05). In this study, targeted interventions combining individualized nursing care and traditional Chinese medicine acupoint patching were administered to patients, which effectively promoted their physical and mental well-being, enhanced patient comfort, improved sleep quality, and effectively managed patient anxiety, as well as alleviated negative emotions. Therefore, natural herbal patches are worthy of promotion and application in clinical settings.