Aghabati, N., Mohammadi, E., & Pour Esmaiel, Z. (2010). The effect of therapeutic touch on pain and fatigue of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 7, 375–381.

To examine the effect of therapeutic touch (TT) on pain and fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Patients were randomized to one of three groups:  the TT group; the placebo group, which underwent a procedure that mimicked TT; or the control group, which received standard treatment. Interventions were used for five days. Patients in the TT group received 30 minutes of TT delivered by a trained researcher. The same researcher delivered all interventions.

• The study was comprised of 90 women (30 patients in each group).
• Mean age was 36.86 years in the TT group, 42.70 years in the placebo group, and 43.30 years in the control group.
• All patients were receiving inpatient cancer treatment.

• Three inpatient units (Whether they were at one site or multiple sites is unknown.)
• Iran

• Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.
• The study has clinical applicability for end of life and palliative care.

The study was a randomized, controlled trial with an intervention group and a usual care control.

• 10-point, 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) (patient marked line for pain score)   
• Rhoten Fatigue Scale (RFS), 0 to 10 scale (0 = no fatigue, 10 = as much fatigue as I can bear)

• The pain scores of the TT group were lower than the pain scores of the placebo and control groups (p = 0.04).
• The fatigue scores of the TT group were lower than the scores of the placebo and control groups (p = 0.002).
• On some days, the scores of the placebo group were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than the scores of the control group.
• At all times, the fatigue scores of the TT group were lower than the scores of the placebo and control groups (p < 0.05).

TT was more effective at decreasing pain and fatigue than were placebo and control treatments. The placebo arm showed \"control\" that was superior to that in the control group.

• The study had a small sample size, with less than 100 patients.
• The sample was comprised of Muslim women in Iran, which may affect the applicability of the findings.
• The authors did not describe the actual intervention.

TT may decrease pain and fatigue scores in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The fact that a therapist must receive significant training to deliver TT may affect the practicality of the intervention.