Background. Around 50ââ?¬â??90% of hemodialysis patients develop pruritus. Although studies examining nonpharmacological\ntreatments for itchy skin have been conducted, the conclusions have not been decisive. Purpose. Through a systematic review of\nthe literature, this study aimed to understand nonpharmacological interventions carried out in clinical trials for uremic pruritus\nand to evaluate and consolidate the information regarding these improvements and their effectiveness. Methods. A literature search\nfocusing on studies published between January 2004 andDecember 2013 was conducted from5 electronic databases.After screening\nbased on inclusion criteria and excluding duplicates, nonpharmacological treatments examined in randomized clinical trials were\nselected for further analysis and synthesis. A modified Jadad scale was used to evaluate the quality of the identified articles.\nResults. Seven nonpharmacological studies met the inclusion criteria. The interventions to improve uremic pruritus included\nusing emollients, phototherapy, acupuncture, and thermal therapy. Research showed that using emollients, phototherapy, and\nacupuncture significantly reduces uremic pruritus. Conclusion. Nonpharmacological interventions are effective for hemodialysis\npatients with pruritus. Emollients were found to provide the most relief compared to the other methods and constitute a readily\navailable and cost-effective intervention to improve pruritus symptoms.
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