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Updated: May 18, 2026

A Swine Burn Model for Investigating the Healing Process in Multiple Depth Burn Wounds
Published on: February 23, 2024
The implementation and evaluation of therapeutic touch in burn patients: an instructive experience of conducting a
Martine Busch1, Adriaan Visser, Maggie Eybrechts
1Van Praag Instituut, Utrecht, The Netherlands. mbusch@vanpraaginstituut.nl
Objective:
Evaluation of therapeutic touch (TT) in the nursing of burn patients; post hoc evaluation of the research process in a non-academic nursing setting.
Methods:
38 burn patients received either TT or nursing presence. On admission, days 2, 5 and 10 of hospitalization, data were collected on anxiety for pain, salivary cortisol, and pain medication. Interviews with nurses were held concerning research in a non-academic setting.
Results:
Anxiety for pain was more reduced on day 10 in the TT-group. The TT-group was prescribed less morphine on day 1 and 2. On day 2 cortisol level before dressing changes was higher in the TT-group. The situational challenges of this study led to inconsistencies in data collection and a high patient attrition rate, weakening its statistical power.
Conclusion:
Conducting an effect study within daily nursing practice should not be done with a nursing staff inexperienced in research. Analysis of the remaining data justifies further research on TT for burn patients with pain, anxiety for pain, and cortisol levels as outcomes.
Practice Implications:
Administering and evaluating TT during daily care requires nurses experienced both in TT and research, thus leading to less attrition and missing data, increasing the power of future studies.
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