Clinical Research Directory

Feasibility of Breathwork Intervention With Older Adults After Knee Surgery

Postoperative complications after surgical procedures, including following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), have a negative impact on the health and well-being of surgical patients. Older adults (≥65 years) are particularly vulnerable to postoperative complications and their associated morbidities due to the biological aging process. Older adults comprise nearly half of surgical patients worldwide, and this number is expected to increase in the next 10-20 years as the aging population continues to grow. TKA is the most common procedure undergone by older adults, and the rate of TKA procedures is also expected to rise. Despite perioperative guidelines and protocols to prevent postoperative complications, the prevalence of postoperative complications following TKA is approximately 12%. Given these statistics, millions of older adults undergoing TKA may be at risk for postoperative complications and their associated morbidities in the coming decades. Therefore, additional interventions are needed to combat postoperative complications in this population. The body's natural response to surgery, also known as the surgical stress response (SSR), contributes to postoperative complications through complex mechanisms involving the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, or the body's fight-or-flight response, causes dysregulation in feedback systems that regulate the stress response, potentially leading to poorer outcomes. Interventions, such as breathwork, that induce the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), or the body's rest-and-digest response, have been shown to balance the ANS, regulate stress biology, and improve outcomes. This study will examine the feasibility of adding a breathwork intervention (Box Breathing), compared to an attention control, to standard perioperative care for older adults undergoing TKA. This study will also examine the proof of concept that Box Breathing, compared to an attention control, may help regulate the SSR by assessing an objective measure of stress-related biology, diurnal cortisol rhythm, and gathering self-report information on pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of recovery following TKA.

The Effect of Virtual Reality-Based Video and Benson Relaxation Exercise Applied to Palliative Care Providers on Sleep Quality, Fitness and General Well-Being

The research will be conducted to evaluate the effects of Virtual Reality-Based Video and Benson Relaxation Exercise Applied to Palliative Care Providers on Sleep Quality, Fitness and General Well-Being. In the Palliative Care Center; The palliative patient group will be comprised of individuals aged 18 and over who provide care. The population of the research consists of 210 people. Individuals will be distributed to the virtual reality video experimental group (30), Benson relaxation exercise experimental group (30) and control (30) groups by simple randomization method. Personal Information Form, Sleep Quality Index, Subjective Wellness Scale and General Well-Being Scale will be used to collect research data. Personal information form, Sleep Quality Index, Subjective Well-Being Scale and General Well-Being Scale will be administered to the caregivers in both the experimental group and the control group by the researcher using face-to-face interview technique (pre-test). The caregivers, the first group in the experimental group, will be shown a total of 8 sessions of virtual reality-based videos (nature, forest walks and city tours, etc.) for an average of 30 minutes, twice a week for 4 weeks. The caregivers, who are the second group in the experimental group, will have a total of 8 sessions of Benson relaxation exercises for 20-25 minutes, twice a week for 4 weeks. No intervention will be made to the caregivers in the control group. At the end of the sessions, Sleep Quality Index, Subjective Well-Being Scale and General Well-Being Scale (post-test) will be applied to the experimental and control groups. The basic question it aims to answer is: Do virtual reality-based video and BENSON relaxation exercises applied to palliative care givers affect sleep quality, vitality and general well-being?