The effect of Benson relaxation on the comfort of the elderly hospitalized

understanding the feeling of comfort is one of elderly needs, especially those hospitalized, that nursing care has a significant effect on improving the patient's comfort level. One of these nursing interventions is relaxation.

Material: 

The present study is a randomized controlled experimental study that was performed on 71 elderly people admitted to the internal ward (34 in the experimental group and 37 in the control group) in Mostafa Khomeini Hospital in Tehran from June to October 2020.  Research tools were Abbreviated Mental Test and Hospice Comfort Questionnaire. In the experimental group, Benson relaxation was performed for 4 sessions and each session lasted for 10 minutes. In the control group, a routine intervention was performed. Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test and paired t-test were used to analyze the data in SPSS software version 16.

By comparing the comfort level at the beginning and end of the research between the experimental and control groups, it was found that the distribution of the mean comfort level between the two groups is not statistically significant. Although the level of comfort between the two groups at the end of the study was not significantly different from the beginning of the study, but in both groups the mean of it w increased. There was a significant difference between the mean comfort level before and after the research within the experimental and control groups (p <0.0001).

It is suggested that health policymakers design a quiet environment and appropriate equipment, for example appropriate beds in hospitals or medical staff, especially nurses, create a stress-free ward and a suitable relationship to provide trust, confidence and responsibility for increasing the comfort of the elderly in hospital.