The Effect of Acupressure Applied to Different Fistula Area on Fistula Needle Insert Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial

This study is determined that finger acupuncture at L14 point reduces the severity of pain felt by the patient during fistula needle insertion. Acute pain during puncture of arteriovenous fistula is a common problem in hemodialysis patients. Moreover, patients experience this acute pain three times a week. Accordingly, acupressure applied to the L4 acupuncture point can be considered as an effective, simple and low-cost non-pharmacological method to reduce acute pain during needle insertion in patients. Since this application is non-invasive and does not carry the risk of complications, it can be taught to patients and/or nurses to contribute to the management of acute pain. In addition, in this article, we examined the effect of acupressure applied only to the LI4 acupuncture point on pain intensity during fistula needle insertion, therefore, we suggest designing different studies with different acupuncture points (effective in reducing pain).