THE EFFECT of PROGRESSİVE RELAXATİON EXERCİSES on FATİGUE LEVELS of PATİENTS: A SYSTEMATİC REVİEW

Fatigue is a symptom that prevents the individual from using his functions and normal capacity, affects the whole body, impairs the quality of life, and is an important complaint especially in individuals with chronic diseases. Nursing interventions in fatigue management are based on increasing activity tolerance and endurance, and conserving energy. Progressive relaxation exercises are among the complementary therapies that can be helpful in reducing fatigue. In this systematic review, articles investigating the effects of progressive relaxation exercises on patients' fatigue levels were evaluated. Articles were accessed from COCHRANE, EBSCO Host, MEDLINE, PUBMED, SCIENCE DIRECT, WEB OF SCIENCE, ULAKBİM databases and GOOGLE ACADEMIC. Twenty-four research articles with experimental/semi-experimental, randomized/non-randomized control groups, published in Turkish and English between January 2000 and December 2021, were included in the evaluation. In the articles evaluated, it was determined that the study groups mostly consisted of individuals with chronic diseases such as cancer, hemodialysis, heart, multiple sclerosis, type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In all articles included in the study, it was found that progressive relaxation exercises reduce fatigue. This systematic review supports the integration of progressive relaxation exercises into routine nursing care and nursing education.