Effect of Massage Therapy on Fatigue and Sleep Quality in Patients With Heart Failure in Intensive Care Unit

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of massage therapy on fatigue and sleep quality in patients with heart failure in the intensive care unit. The study design was a randomized control trial and repeated measurements. A convenience sampling was used to recruit heart failure patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) II-III from the intensive care unit of a regional teaching center. In addition to routine turning, patients in the experimental group received daily back massage intervention for 10 minute, once a day; the control group maintained usual care. The data collection included three time points: baseline, 4th and 7th day after the intervention. Research tools include basic personal data, Piper fatigue scale and Pittsburgh sleep quality scale.