The Effect of Healing Touch on Critical Care Patients' Vital Signs: A Pilot Study

Biofield Therapies Clinical Research Landscape: A Scoping Review and Interactive Evidence Map

Background: Biofield Therapies, with a historical lineage spanning millennia and continuing relevance in contemporary practices, have been used to address various health conditions and promote wellbeing. The scientific study and adoption of these therapies have been hindered by cultural challenges and institutional barriers. In addition, the current research landscape for Biofield Therapies is insufficiently documented. Objectives: This scoping review aims to comprehensively document the peer-reviewed research landscape of Biofield Therapies. Furthermore, an online searchable and dynamic Evidence Map was created to serve as a publicly accessible tool for querying the evidence base, pinpointing research gaps, and identifying areas requiring further exploration. Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycInfo databases was conducted from inception through January 2024. Peer-reviewed interventional studies in English involving human participants receiving Biofield Therapy were included. Data on study design, population, intervention, comparator, outcomes, citation details, and direction of results reported were extracted and synthesized into two summary tables and three data tables. Results: In total, 353 studies in 352 published reports were included: 255 randomized controlled trials, 36 controlled clinical trials, and 62 pre-post study designs. Named biofield interventions included Reiki (n = 88), Therapeutic Touch (n = 71), Healing Touch (n = 31), intercessory prayer (n = 21), External Qigong (n = 16), Spiritual Healing/Spiritual Passé/Laying-on-of-hands (n = 14), "distant or remote healing" (n = 10), and Gentle Human Touch/Yakson Therapeutic Touch (n = 9). Also included were 56 studies in 55 reports involving bespoke, unknown, or other interventions, 20 studies involving multimodal interventions, and 17 studies involving multiple biofield interventions. Studies encompassed a wide variety of populations, most commonly healthy volunteers (n = 67), pain (n = 55), and cancer (n = 46). As reported in the Abstracts, nearly half of the studies (n = 172) reported positive results in favor of the Biofield Therapy for all outcomes being investigated, 95 reported mixed results, 71 reported nonsignificant results, 3 reported negative results, and 12 studies did not report the direction of results. Conclusions: Despite rising interest in Biofield Therapies among researchers, practitioners, and patients, the integration of these interventions into allopathic medical systems is hindered by challenges in researching these therapies and inconsistent reporting. These issues contribute to inconclusive findings, which limit our understanding of the efficacy of Biofield Therapies for specific conditions. The resulting scoping review and interactive Evidence Map aim to empower stakeholders to overcome these obstacles, thereby strengthening the evidence for the potential adoption of Biofield Therapies as future integrative care options in allopathic medicine.

Nurse stress relief: A pilot study on the impact of healing touch and chakra techniques on well-being

PURPOSE

To investigate and assess the effects of Healing Touch (HT) level-one education and training and the 21-day practice of the self-chakra connection technique on the perceived stress levels of nurses at a large healthcare system located in the Mid-Atlantic US region.

METHODS

This study used a mixed-methods design to collect quantitative and qualitative data via pre- and post-intervention surveys with Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale and post-open-ended questions. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlational statistics.

RESULTS

In this pilot study of 58 nurses who participated in HT classes, 34 nurses completed the presurvey and 22 completed both pre- and post-surveys. Results revealed a 3.8-point mean decrease in perceived stress scores, with participants reporting improved stress management, increased confidence, and better work preparedness. However, statistical significance was not achieved due to low post-survey completion rates.

CONCLUSION

Nurses who received HT training and practiced the self-chakra connection technique as part of their self-care reported decreased perceived stress levels, supporting the use of HT as a potentially effective approach to stress reduction among nurses.

Analysis of the Current Situation and Influencing Factors of Touch Comfort Among Intensive Care Unit Nurses

Objective

To investigate the current situation of the touch comfort of nurses in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Grade A tertiary hospitals and analyse its influencing factors, to provide a basis for formulating intervention programmes.

Methods

In August 2022, 343 nurses in the ICUs of eight tertiary-level hospitals in Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province were surveyed, and the current situation of nurses' tactile comfort and the factors affecting it in the ICU were analysed using the Nurses' General Information Questionnaire, Nurses' Touch Comfort Scale, Nurses' Humanistic Qualities Self-Assessment Scale and Nursing Work Environment Scale.

Results

The mean score for the tactile comfort of ICU nurses was (5.16±1.25). Staffing, ICU nurses' family support, nursing work environment and nurses' humanistic qualities were positively correlated with ICU nurses and tactile comfort, whereas job title was negatively correlated with ICU nurses and tactile comfort.

Conclusion

The touch comfort of nurses in ICUs is good, and the physiological dimension is at the medium level. Nursing managers could take comprehensive measures to strengthen the cultivation of nurses' humanistic quality, improve the nursing working environment in the ICU, improve nurses' touch comfort and promote the improvement of nursing service.

"I am Here"-The Importance of Caring Touch in Intensive Care. A Qualitative Observation and Interview Study

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to illuminate the experience of caring touch in intensive care from the perspectives of patients, next-of-kin, and healthcare professionals. Design and Method: This study was explorative, and data were collected through qualitative observations (n = 9) with subsequent interviews (n = 27) at two general intensive care units. An inductive approach was embraced to be open-minded to the participants' experiences. Findings: The results are presented in one generic category-caring touch creates presence-which generated five subcategories: to touch and be touched with respect, touch as guidance and communication, touch causes suffering, touch creates compassion, and touch creates security. Conclusion: When the ability to communicate with words is lost, it is body language that reveals what a person is trying to express. Nurses create a way of being present with the patients by touching them, to communicate I am here for you. Caring touch is a tool to show compassion and respect and to protect the integrity of the lived body. The caring touch is soothing and comforting for the patient and next-of-kin and creates security. It also helps to awaken the motivation to get healthy, which is needed in an environment that is foreign.

Identifying Holistic Nursing Research Priorities for 2023-2026

The primary goal of holistic nursing research is to develop and expand the knowledge base of holism and healing for nursing praxis. This article provides an overview of the process used to identify the research priorities for holistic nursing research over the next 3 to 5 years. A mixed method design using Appreciative Inquiry and surveys revealed five research priorities and the holistic philosophical foundation for these priorities. Additionally, new challenges in the environment, person, health, and nursing will undoubtedly emerge, requiring nurses to discern the research needs beyond 2026. This work seeks to inspire holistic nurses to consider research related to the American Holistic Nurses Association's five key research priorities.

Receptive Music Therapy for Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation in the Intensive Care Unit

BACKGROUND

Live music therapy provided by a board-certified music therapist reduces anxiety, decreases pain, and improves the physiological response of patients in the intensive care unit (ICU).

OBJECTIVES

To examine the effect of live music therapy on the physiological parameters and pain and agitation levels of adult ICU patients receiving mechanical ventilation.

METHODS

A total of 118 patients were randomly assigned to live music therapy or standard care. The music therapy group received 30 minutes of live music therapy tailored to each patient's needs. The Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale and the Critical Care Pain Observation Tool were completed by critical care nurses immediately before and after each session, and the patients' heart rates, respiratory rates, and oxygenation levels were measured.

RESULTS

Patients who received live music therapy had significantly different scores on the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (P < .001) and the Critical Care Pain Observation Tool (odds ratio, 6.02; P = .002) compared with the standard care group. Significant differences between groups were also reported in heart rate (P < .001). No significant differences were found in oxygen values.

CONCLUSIONS

Live music therapy significantly reduced agitation and heart rate in adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the ICU. These findings provide further evidence for the benefits of music therapy in the ICU, including in intubated patients.

Nonpharmacological interventions for agitation in the adult intensive care unit: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Person-centred nonpharmacological strategies should be used whenever possible to reduce agitation in the intensive care unit due to issues related to an overreliance on physical restraints and psychoactive drugs. However, the effect of nonpharmacological interventions to reduce agitation is unclear.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to systematically review studies that evaluate the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions designed to prevent and minimise or manage patient agitation in the adult intensive care unit.

METHODS

This systematic review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute's Systematic Review of Effectiveness method and a priori PROSPERO protocol. Quantitative studies were identified from seven databases, including MEDLINE, EmCare, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Cochrane Library. In addition, grey literature from several repositories and trial registers was searched. The primary outcome of interest was the effect on prevention, minimisation, and management of agitation. The quality of the evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE).

RESULTS

Eleven studies were included (n = 882). Meta-analyses of two studies demonstrated significantly lower levels of agitation (measured with the Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale) in the group receiving a multicomponent nonpharmacological intervention than in those receiving usual care. Individual studies showed a significant effect of nature-based sounds, music, foot reflexology, healing touch, and aromatherapy. The type of the endotracheal suction system did not affect levels of agitation. Overall, the certainty of the findings was rated very low. Harms and adverse effects were not reported in any studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Nonpharmacological interventions have the potential to reduce levels of agitation in the intensive care unit. However, inconsistencies in reporting, low quality of methodological designs, and small sample sizes impact the certainty of the results. Future trials must include larger sample sizes, use rigorous methods to improve knowledge in this field, and consider a range of other outcomes.