Overcash, J., Will, K.M., & Lipetz, D.W. (2013). The benefits of medical qigong in patients with cancer: A descriptive pilot study. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 17, 654–658. 

To determine if medical Qigong changed fatigue, depression, and sleep in patients with cancer and survivors

Participants were asked to review and complete a packet of information with instruments before their first class and after their last class. They were involved in a one and a half-hour class for five weeks that included the history of Qigong and movements for relaxation that they were encouraged to perform on their own.

• N = 22  
• MEAN AGE = 57.63 years (range = 36–75 years, SD = 11.3 years)
• MALES: Not provided, FEMALES: Mostly women
• KEY DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Patients with cancer and survivors undergoing active treatment or no treatment
• OTHER KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: Aged greater than 18 years; spoke and read English

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

• PHASE OF CARE: Multiple phases of care
• APPLICATIONS: Palliative care 

Descriptive pre- and post-test design

• Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI)
• Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D)
• Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

Of the 38 participants, 38 completed the preintervention, 22 completed the postintervention, 16 did not attend the class, 15 completed the pre/post PSQI, and 19 completed the CES-D and BFI. There was a reduction in depression. The study found only CES-D scores to be improved postintervention, and all the scores were more favorable after the classes. Sleep scores were improved after classes.

This pilot study indicated a reduction in depression with the use of medical Qigong after five weeks. This is shorter than other studies in the literature that were performed over a 12-week period. The findings are limited by the small sample size.

• Small sample (< 30)
• Risk of bias (no control group)
• Risk of bias (no blinding)
• Risk of bias (no random assignment) 
• Risk of bias (no appropriate attentional control condition)  
• Risk of bias (sample characteristics)
• Findings not generalizable
• Intervention expensive, impractical, or training needs
• Subject withdrawals ≥ 10%
• Other limitations/explanation: Sample characteristics not well described; five-week intervention compared to 12 weeks in the literature; number subjects not completing various aspects of the program was high; specific training for this type of intervention might be impractical if you do not have someone who is an expert in Qigong; most participants were active, were motivated to learn, were not receiving cancer treatment, and reported a positive outlook and adequate social support; depression and fatigue interventions would likely not be a priority for this group

Complementary and alternative medicine therapies are an alternative to offer patients for symptom management, especially to potentially help with depression. Nurses can educate patients about these types of alternatives to alleviate the symptoms of cancer treatment and its aftereffects. The findings of this study were limited by the sample size and high rate of patients who did not participate and did not show the effects of the intervention.