The effect of therapeutic touch and music rest on sleeping applied to children with liver transplantation

Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of therapeutic touch and music rest on the sleep of children with liver transplantation. Material and Method: The data of the study were collected at Inönü University Turgut Özal Medical Center Liver Institute pediatric clinic between February 2021 and November 2021. The study was completed with 50 patients included in the therapeutic touch (25) and music rest (25) groups. Therapeutic touch and music rest applications were applied for three consecutive days, once a day and for 15-20 minutes. Before and after the application, the 24-hour sleep of the children was evaluated with actigraphy. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, and Wilcoxon Signed Test were used to evaluate the data. Results: It was determined that the time in bed, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency of the children in the therapeutic touch group increased after the procedure (p<0.05). On the other hand, it was determined that the time in bed, and total sleep time increased, and the onset latency decreased after the procedure in the children in the music rest group (p<0.05). It was determined that the effects of therapeutic touch and music rest applications on sleep parameters after the procedure were similar (p≥0.05). Conclusion: It has been determined that therapeutic touch and music rest applications have an improving effect on the sleep of children with liver transplantation. It may be recommended to use therapeutic touch or music rest applications to support the sleep of children with liver transplantation. Keywords: Liver transplant, music, nurse, sleep, therapeutic touch