Evidence mapPaperPMID 41437348Full record

ArticleBMC nursing2025

Cool baby oil for pruritus and sleep quality among uremic patients: a nurse-led randomized controlled trial.

Maha Gamal Ramadan Asal, Hoda Abdou Abd El-Monem El-Deeb, Mona Abd Elmaksoud Amer, Mervat Abdel Hamid Hawash

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05555524 (Effect of Cool Baby Oil on Pruritus and Sleep Quality Among Uremic Patients), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05555524 nacompletednot on this map

Effect of Cool Baby Oil on Pruritus and Sleep Quality Among Uremic Patients: a Double-blind Placebo-controlled Randomized Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorAlexandria UniversityRan2022 to 2023Enrolled80ConditionsHaemodialysis-Associated PruritusArmsBaby oil, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Maha Gamal Ramadan AsalMedical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. Maha-gamal@alexu.edu.eg.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9348-8898
Hoda Abdou Abd El-Monem El-DeebMedical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3626-5126
Mona Abd Elmaksoud AmerMedical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3038-1273
Mervat Abdel Hamid HawashMedical Surgical Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0163-5393

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUremic pruritus (UP) is a prevalent and debilitating condition among patients undergoing hemodialysis that significantly impairs sleep quality and overall well-being. Despite its complex, multifactorial pathophysiology, effective management of pruritus remains challenging. Baby oil, known for its moisturizing properties, has been suggested as a potential intervention for alleviating pruritus. However, existing studies have focused primarily on its short-term effects, leaving a gap in understanding its sustained impact. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cool paraffin-based baby oil massage on pruritus severity and sleep quality in hemodialysis patients over four and twelve weeks compared with those of a placebo.

methodsThis parallel-group, randomized, double-blind (participant and outcome evaluators), placebo-controlled trial involved 82 adults, randomized to either the baby oil group (n = 41), which received massage with commercial cool paraffin-based baby oil, or the placebo group (n = 41), which received massage with 10 cc of cool distilled water mixed with two drops of oil. The trial was conducted in two hemodialysis centers over a 12-week treatment period beginning in October 2022. The primary outcomes included pruritus severity, which was assessed via the Itching Severity Scale (ISS) and Pruritus Visual Analogue Scale (PVAS), and sleep quality, which was measured via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).

resultsA total of 80 participants (40 in each group) were analysed. Compared with the placebo group, the baby oil group presented significantly greater reductions in pruritus severity, with mean differences of 8.70 (p = 0.03, d = 1.32) at 4 weeks and 10.03 (p < 0.01, d = 2.58) at 12 weeks for the ISS. For the PVAS, the mean difference was 1.83 (p < 0.01, d = 1.06) at 4 weeks and 4.42 (p < 0.01, d = 3.57) at 12 weeks. Sleep quality also improved significantly, with mean differences of 2.57 (p < 0.01, d = 0.97) at 4 weeks and 5.75 (p < 0.01, d = 2.95) at 12 weeks.

conclusionParaffin-based cool baby oil massage is an effective intervention for reducing pruritus severity and improving sleep quality among hemodialysis patients with UP. This simple intervention can be easily incorporated into nursing care plans, offering a practical approach to enhancing patient comfort and quality of life. By alleviating pruritus and promoting better sleep, it has the potential to significantly improve the well-being of patients with end-stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis.

trial registrationThis study was prospectively registered as a randomized controlled trial at ClinicalTrials.gov (Registration ID: NCT05555524) on September 22, 2022. The full trial details are available at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ .

Indexed as

Cool baby oilNurse-ledPruritusRandomized controlled trialSleep qualityUremic patients

Identifiers

PMID41437348
PMCPMC12837418

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.