Kim, S. D., & Kim, H. S. (2005). Effects of a relaxation breathing exercise on fatigue in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 14, 51–55.

DOI Link

Study Purpose

The aim of the relaxation breathing exercise (RBE) intervention was to improve the function of immune cells.

Intervention Characteristics/Basic Study Process

Before the intervention, a 30-minute recorded audiotape of RBE was given to the patients. RBE consisted of a three-step sequence, which combined relaxation breath and yoga-like positioning exercises:

  1. Preliminary exercises for 10 minutes
  2. Relaxation breathing for 10 minutes
  3. Finish exercises for 10 minutes.

The RBE intervention was provided to patients by one of the researchers at 4:00 pm every day for six weeks in the hospital. RBE was to be practiced in a supine position on a bed. For the control group, routine care (granulocyte-colony stimulating factor [G-CSF] injection and aseptic care) were given. Fatigue was measured at baseline and as posttest data in both groups.

Sample Characteristics

  • The sample was comprised of 35 patients with leukemia or severe aplastic anemia.
  • Mean age was 32.9 years and 34.3 years for the exercise and control groups, respectively (range 20–48 years).
  • Most patients were married, and men and women were equally distributed in the exercise and control groups.
  • Patients were excluded if they were taking medication to relieve anxiety or depression.

Setting

Patients were recruited from an inpatient hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit (single site).

Phase of Care and Clinical Applications

Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.

Study Design

The study was a randomized, pre-/posttest control group clinical trial:

  1. RBE group (n = 18)
  2. Control group (n = 17).

Measurement Instruments/Methods

Revised Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS)

Results

The RBE intervention resulted in a significant decline in mean fatigue scores for the RBE group (mean change = –3.2) compared to the control group (mean change = +0.3) (p = 0.0001). The RBE group had greater decreases in the behavioral/severity, affective meaning, sensory, and cognitive mood dimension compared to the control group. In pretest scores, fatigue scores were highest in the sensory dimension, followed by cognitive/mood and behavioral/severity in the RBE group. Sensory dimension was also the highest in the control group. At pretest, there were no significant differences in fatigue scores between groups.

Limitations

  • The intervention was over a short period of time; therefore, the long-term effects of relaxation breathing exercises are unknown.
  • The study had a small sample size.