Therapeutic touch for healing acute wounds

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Wound Healing Research
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Therapeutic Touch (TT) is a popular alternative therapy claiming to aid wound healing by manipulating 'life energy'.
• The existence of this 'life energy' is not scientifically detectable.
• Anecdotal reports suggest TT may benefit wound healing, but scientific validation is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review all available data on the effects of Therapeutic Touch (TT) on the healing of acute wounds.
• To assess the efficacy of TT as a standalone or adjunctive therapy for wound healing.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive search of multiple databases (Cochrane Wounds Group Register, CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL) was conducted in January 2014.
• Included were randomized or quasi-randomized controlled trials comparing TT to placebo, other treatments, or no treatment.
• Trial eligibility, data extraction, and validity assessment were performed independently by two authors.

Main Results:

• Four trials involving experimental wounds were included; no new trials were identified for this update.
• Results were variable: two trials showed increased healing with TT, one showed worse healing, and one showed no difference.
• All included trials were assessed as having a high risk of bias.

Conclusions:

• There is a lack of robust scientific evidence to support the use of Therapeutic Touch (TT) for promoting acute wound healing.
• The existing studies are limited by small sample sizes and high risk of bias, precluding definitive conclusions.