Goldberg, D.R., Wardell, D.W., Kilgarriff, N., Williams, B., Eichler, D., & Thomlinson, P. (2016). An initial study using healing touch for women undergoing a breast biopsy. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 34, 123–134.

To determine if healing touch can benefit women undergoing diagnostic procedures for breast cancer

Patients were randomized to receive healing touch or to a control group receiving usual care by the day of the week after completing baseline surveys. Those in the experimental group were placed in a treatment room and placed on a massage table. Healing touch was provided by a trained practitioner for 15 minutes. Surveys were again completed after the breast biopsy procedure in both study groups. Participants were given a third set of surveys to return via mail the following day.

• N = 53   
• MEAN AGE = 52.59 (SD = 12.67 years)
• FEMALES: 100%
• CURRENT TREATMENT: Not applicable
• KEY DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Undergoing breast biopsy
• OTHER KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: Sixty-two percent indicated that their baseline stress level was high or very high.

• SITE: Single site   
• SETTING TYPE: Outpatient    
• LOCATION: Minnesota

PHASE OF CARE: Diagnostic

Randomized, controlled trial

• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
• Coping Resources Inventory
• Heart and respiratory rate
• Blood pressure

State anxiety levels declined significantly immediately after the biopsy in both groups. On the next day, anxiety remained lower in the therapeutic touch group, but the difference between groups was only marginally significant (p = 0.06). Physiologic measures showed that the intervention groups respiratory rate and heart rate decreased, but differences between groups were not significant.

The findings suggest that healing touch may be helpful to reduce anxiety associated with undergoing a breast biopsy. Further study is needed to demonstrate efficacy.

• Small sample (< 100)
• Risk of bias (no blinding)
• Risk of bias (no random assignment)
• Unintended interventions or applicable interventions not described that would influence results
• Findings not generalizable
• The assignment was not truly random.  
• No information is given regarding the number of participants who actually returned mailed surveys, and the sample size for the follow-up data is not stated.
• The findings for women undergoing breast biopsy may not be applicable to other patient groups.

Therapeutic touch is a noninvasive intervention that may be helpful for some individuals undergoing periods of stress and anxiety related to diagnostic procedures. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this intervention compared to usual care. Future studies should incorporate comparison to a sham intervention.