Differences in Anxiety Levels Between Chewing Gum and Lemon Inhalation Aromatherapy in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

End-stage kidney disease requires long-term management and renal replacement therapy such as hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis, or transplantation. Patients with chronic kidney disease who undergo regular hemodialysis therapy can increase life expectancy; however, hemodialysis therapies can cause stressors leading to psychological problems. This research aims to determine the difference in anxiety levels between chewing gum and lemon inhalation aromatherapy in hemodialysis patients. Furthermore, this research uses a quantitative quasi-experiment research approach with a two-group pre-posttest design, while a purposive sampling technique employs 32 samples at the Hemodialysis Unit of Permata Medika Hospital, Semarang. In addition, data analysis uses the Wilcoxon signed test and the Mann-Whitney test. The research was conducted in July 2023. The research results show that the Wilcoxon test p-value for both interventions was 0.001, and the Mann-Whitney test p-value was 0.494. It can be concluded that there was no difference in anxiety levels between chewing gum and lemon inhalation aromatherapy in hemodialysis patients. The use of non-pharmacological techniques of chewing gum and lemon inhalation aromatherapy can reduce patient anxiety levels during hemodialysis