Application of Nightingale's Environmental Theory: The Effect of Heliotherapy on The Clinical Improvements in Individuals with Tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis is a global health problem. Sunlight can trigger vitamin D production, so it increases the immunity system. This study analyses Nightingale's environmental theory through the effect of heliotherapy on the clinical improvements in individuals with tuberculosis. It was a quantitative study using a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest approach and a control group. In addition, the population was 59 individuals with tuberculosis in Depok Sleman District, Yogyakarta. Meanwhile, there were 24 respondents by purposive sampling method. The intervention group at Depok 3 Public Health Centre (PHC) was 17 respondents with heliotherapy and anti- tuberculosis drugs, while the control group at Depok 2 PHC was 17 respondents with anti-tuberculosis drugs. The independent variable was heliotherapy, while the dependent variable was the clinical improvements consisting of weight, cough, and shortness of breath. Heliotherapy was conducted for four weeks with an intensity of four times a week for 25 minutes a day. Instruments used weigh scale, Borg Scale, and Leicester cough questionnaire. In addition, data analysis used the Wilcoxon Test and paired T- Test with a significance of 0.05. The results showed that there were clinical improvements in the intervention group (p=0.000). In addition, there were increased clinical improvements in weight and cough scores in the control group (p=0.000). However, there was no significant difference in the shortness of breath score in the control group (p=0.06). In conclusion, the application of Nightingale's environmental theory through heliotherapy affects clinical improvements in individuals with tuberculosis.

Keywords

• Tuberculosis
• Sunlight
• Clinical Improvements