Effects of guided imagery on patients in hemodialysis: study protocol

Introduction: Patients undergoing hemodialysis can show anxiety, depression, poor sleep and a reduction in thequality of life. Non-pharmacological interventions could be used to combine with conventional treatments toimprove these outcomes. Guided imagery is a mind-body technique that uses mental images to promote relaxationand well-being. This is the first international research protocol that studies the effects of guided imagery inhemodialysis patients on various subjective and objective outcomes.Methods: The aim is to evaluate the impact of guided imagery on the level of anxiety, depression, sleep, qualityof life, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate. The study design isa randomized controlled trial, prospective, with two parallel groups (guided imagery vs standard care), with 1:1balanced allocation, pre-posttest, in a calculated sample of 30 patients diagnosed with chronic kidney disease(CKD) undergoing hemodialysis. The intervention requires that each patient be treated with guided imagery for30 minutes, three times a week, for 4 weeks. Expected results. The research hypotheses on the results are thatthe guided imagery, compared to the control group, reduces anxiety levels, reduces depression levels, improvessleep, improves quality of life, improves systolic blood pressure, improves diastolic blood pressure, improvesheart rate and improves respiratory rate.Conclusion: If the effects show a statistically significant efficacy, guided imagery could be used during the dailycare of hemodialysis patients.