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Nursing intervention using healing touch in bilateral total knee arthroplasty
Mary E Hardwick1, Pamela A Pulido, Wendy S Adelson
1Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research & Education at Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Orthopedic Nursing
|January 27, 2012
Summary
Healing touch (HT) may help reduce pain and anxiety after bilateral total knee arthroplasty. This nurse-initiated therapy showed potential for improving patient satisfaction and pain control post-surgery.
Area of Science:
- Nursing interventions
- Complementary and alternative medicine
- Surgical recovery
Background:
- Postoperative pain and anxiety are significant challenges following bilateral total knee arthroplasty.
- Standard pharmacologic interventions may not fully address patient needs for comfort and healing.
- Nurse-initiated modalities like Healing Touch (HT) offer a potential complementary approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of Healing Touch (HT) as an adjunct to standard care for patients undergoing bilateral total knee arthroplasty.
- To determine if HT reduces postoperative pain, anxiety, and opioid consumption.
- To assess the impact of HT on ambulation, knee flexion, and patient satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- A prospective randomized controlled trial involving 41 patients undergoing bilateral total knee arthroplasty.
- Patients were assigned to either the HT group (n=20) or standard treatment (ST) group (n=21).
- Pain (VAS), anxiety (STAI), opioid consumption (DE), and patient satisfaction were measured.
Main Results:
- While not statistically significant, the HT group reported lower pain scores (VAS) compared to the ST group.
- Within the HT group, pain significantly decreased after treatment sessions (p < .05).
- State anxiety was significantly lower in the HT group on postoperative Day 2 (p = .046), with higher patient satisfaction regarding pain control at 1 month.
Conclusions:
- Healing Touch (HT) is a viable complementary therapy for nurses to manage postoperative pain in patients after bilateral total knee arthroplasty.
- HT demonstrates potential in alleviating pain and anxiety, contributing to improved patient outcomes and satisfaction.
- Further research can explore optimizing HT protocols for enhanced surgical recovery.
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