The Effects of Reiki and Back Massage on the Pain and Vital Signs
Condition: Pain; Abdominal Pain
MeSH terms: Abdominal Pain
Study type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Summary: 
      The practice of Reiki and back massage applications in support of pharmacological treatment
      is among the nursing initiatives and these practices increase the autonomy of the profession.
      The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Reiki and back massage on pain,
      analgesic use and vital signs in women who had undergone open abdominal hysterectomy. This
      was an experimental study with a single, blinded, pretest-posttest control group. The
      population of the study consisted of women who had abdominal hysterectomy in the Obstetrics
      Clinics at Gazi Yasargil Training and Research Hospital and Dicle University Hospital between
      July 2017 and February 2018. The patients were divided into three groups: Reiki, back massage
      and control, with 34 patients in each group. Reiki or back massage were applied for 20
      minutes once a day to the patients in the Reiki and back massage groups.
    

Detailed description: 
      The study was carried out to determine the effect of Reiki and back massage application on
      pain, analgesic use and vital signs in women underwent open abdominal hysterectomy. This
      study used an experimental pretest and posttest design with two experimental groups (Reiki
      and back massage), and a control group. The population of the study consisted of women who
      underwent abdominal hysterectomy in the Obstetrics Clinics of the Gazi Training and Research
      Hospital and Dicle University Hospital between July 2017 and February 2018. Open abdominal
      hysterectomy is usually performed in clinics on a planned basis.The data were collected by
      the researcher in the clinic by the face-to-face interview method using the Patient
      Information Form, the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and the Vital Signs and Postoperative
      Analgesic Follow-up Form.
    

Intervention name(s): Reiki and back massage
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): In the current study, at the beginning of the treatment, the researcher held his hands 2-3 cm above the patient sand adjusted the aura of the patient by making circular movements from the head to the feet. After this process of aura attunement, the researcher placed his hands directly on the patient's body. In the areas where the practitioner had placed his hands for an average of three minutes, starting from between the eyes, the researcher felt various degrees of warmth and tingling in his palms. Only the back was left exposed to prevent the patient becoming cold. The researcher took a little non-aromatic baby oil in hand and heated it, then began a 20-minute-long massage. The massage consisted of 6.5 minutes of effleurage (stroking), 3.5 minutes of petrissage (kneading), 13 minutes of effleurage and seven minutes of petrissage.
Observational model: Case-Control
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Open abdominal hysterectomy is usually performed in clinics on a planned basis. Patients
        undergoing open abdominal hysterectomy are hospitalized over 1-2 days before the surgery
        and they are discharged on the postoperative 3 rd day if there is no postoperative
        complication. Routine analgesics and antibiotics are given to all patients in the
        postoperative period.
      
Keywords: Back massage; Hysterectomy; Pain; Reiki