Effect of Benson relaxation therapy on sleep quality among children in pediatric intensive care unit

Abstract

Background: Children in intensive care units must get enough sleep to maintain their physical and mental health. Benson’s Muscle Relaxation Technique is an effective complementary and non-pharmacological technique used to improve sleep patterns. Aim: To evaluate the effect of Benson relaxation therapy on sleep quality among children in the pediatric intensive care unit. Subjects and Methods: Design: A quasi-experimental design was used to achieve this study. Setting: The study was conducted in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit affiliated to Sohag University Hospital. Subject: Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample of 60 children who were randomly assigned into two groups, 30 for each (the study and control groups). Two tools were used: (I) a structured interview questionnaire and (II) the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale. Results: The present study findings demonstrated that There were significant differences and improvements regarding sleep quality mean scores between the two groups post-implementation of Benson relaxation therapy at (P<0.05). Conclusion: Benson's relaxation therapy implementation was an effective and safe intervention used to improve sleep quality among children in the pediatric intensive care unit. Recommendations:Benson relaxation therapy is recommended alongside treatment for children in the pediatric intensive care unit to improve their sleep quality.