Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 12, 2025
Community-based Adapted Tango Dancing for Individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Older Adults
Published on: December 9, 2014
Enhancing Palliative Care With Mindful Touch: Impact of a Manual and Movement Therapy Training Program in an
Eran Ben-Arye1, Emanuela Portalupi2, Yael Keshet3
1Integrative Oncology Program, Lin, Zebulon & Carmel Medical Centers, Clalit Health Services, Haifa, Israel; Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel; Middle East Research Group in Integrative Oncology (MERGIO), Middle East Cancer Consortium, Haifa, Israel.
Context:
Manual and movement therapies (MMTs) play a central role in the integrative oncology setting, significantly improving patients' quality of life (QOL). Despite research supporting the effectiveness and safety of these modalities, most oncology health care providers (HCPs) lack any MMT training.
Objectives:
In this study, we examine the impact of an MMT-based integrative oncology training program with the participation of an international and multidisciplinary group of oncology HCPs. The feasibility of implementing these skills in palliative cancer care is examined.
Methods:
A three-day evidence-based hands-on teaching program was designed to train oncology HCPs working in supportive cancer care MMT modalities from traditional Chinese and anthroposophic medicine. Prequalitative and postqualitative assessments of the trainees' narratives were analyzed using ATLAS.Ti software (Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany) for systematic coding.
Results:
The training program was attended by 30 participants from Israel (15), Germany (7), Italy (6), Turkey (1), and Cyprus (1). The group included 13 nurses, 10 physicians, 6 complementary/integrative HCPs, and 1 psycho-oncologist. The pretraining expectations that were met at post-training included gaining knowledge and practical QOL-oriented skills, which could be implemented in the palliative and supportive care setting. A significant change in the attitude of trainees to touch therapy was also identified, with respondents seeing MMTs promoting patient-centered palliative care, including nonverbal communication.
Conclusion:
An MMT training program for oncology HCPs for QOL-related indications is both feasible and likely to be implemented in palliative and supportive cancer care. Nonspecific effects of MMTs were also recognized for their ability to facilitate patient-centered care.
Related Concept Videos
02:49Cancer Therapies
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
02:56Treatment Resistant Cancers
01:27Peripheral Artery Disease III: Interprofessional Care
01:25Continuing Care
01:27Tumor Immunotherapy
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...