The Effectiveness of Massage in Reducing Fatigue in Hemodialysis Patients: A Systematic Review

End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) is the final stage of chronic kidney failure which requires kidney replacement therapy, one of which is hemodialysis. A common symptom in hemodialysis patients is fatigue. Massage is one of several interventions that can overcome fatigue problems. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of massage in reducing fatigue in hemodialysis patients. This research uses a systematic review approach. The literature search came from five databases, namely Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct, ClinicalKey, and SpringerLink. Apart from that, researchers also conducted a manual search. The keywords used are massage, fatigue, and hemodialysis. The results of the literature search obtained 337 articles from databases and 4 from manual search. Then screening was carried out using the criteria for articles published from 2014 – 2023, open access, full-text articles, original articles with a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) or quasi-experimental design, discussing massage interventions and reducing fatigue in hemodialysis patients. The results of the article screening obtained seven articles and a critical appraisal was carried out using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist and all of them were suitable for review. The results showed that massage of various types was effective in reducing fatigue in hemodialysis patients. The various massages in question are foot massage, foot reflexology and back massage, hand massage, lower back and lower leg massage using olive oil, aromatherapy massage, and slow stroke back massage. Massage is effective in reducing fatigue in hemodialysis patients. Future research can examine the type of massage that is most effective in reducing fatigue in hemodialysis patients.