The Effect of Self Acupressure Application on Pain, Fatigue and Sleep Quality in Multiple Myeloma Patients

Multiple Myeloma occurs with damaging bone lesion, hypercalcemia, anemia and renal failure as a result of secretion of monoclonal protein in serum and/or urea and accumulation of plasma cells. The most common symptoms at the time of diagnosis are; fatigue, insomnia, bone pain and recurrent infections. In multiple myeloma patients, pain, fatigue and sleep problems are conditions that significantly affect the daily life activities of the individual and require planned nursing interventions for the solution. In this challenging process, a holistic approach should be adopted while planning the care practices of the patients, and non-pharmacological practices should be planned, which will enable the patient to perform the activities of daily life with minimum energy and maximum function. Acupressure, one of the non-pharmacological applications, is a complementary medicine method that ensures the proper functioning of the energy channels by applying pressure to the points on the energy-carrying meridians (these points are the same as acupuncture points) with fingers, palms or wrist bands without using needles, unlike acupuncture. In the literature, it is stated that acupressure is a pain-relieving, relaxing analgesic and immune system-strengthening supportive method rather than its therapeutic effect, and it relieves insomnia and fatigue and relieves the person. In addition, within the scope of the harmonization model; By teaching acupressure to patients by nurses, patients can be actively involved in their own symptom management. Therefore, this study was planned to evaluate the effect of self-acupressure applied to patients with multiple myeloma on pain, fatigue and sleep quality. The research will be conducted as a randomized, experimental study with a pretest-posttest control group. The sample of the study will consist of 52 Multiple Myeloma patients, 26 experimental and 26 control groups, who met the research criteria and accepted the study, between August 2022 and