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The effectiveness of Reiki in surgical care: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Haoran Wang1, Qing Ma2, Limei Wang3
1Department of Anesthesiology, the First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China; The First Clinical College, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China.
Objectives:
Reiki, a complementary therapy recognized by the WHO, is increasingly being integrated into surgical care. This meta-analysis evaluates its efficacy in surgical care.
Methods:
We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, ProQuest and ClinicalTrials.gov up to September 9, 2024 for RCTs comparing Reiki to control conditions. Outcomes included postoperative pain, anxiety, and hemodynamic parameters. Data were pooled using meta-analysis models as appropriate.
Results:
The analysis included 15 RCTs (555 in the Reiki group and 664 in the control group). Moderate to low certainty evidence indicated that perioperative Reiki significantly reduced postoperative pain at 24 and 48 h, as well as anxiety and blood pressure at 48 h. Subgroup analyses showed that significant reduction of postoperative pain at 48 h was observed in female-only populations, no-intervention control designs, postoperative-only intervention timing, and 30-min or 20-min intervention sessions.
Conclusion:
With moderate-to-low certainty evidence, Reiki therapy appears to effectively reduce acute postoperative pain, anxiety, and hemodynamic stress in surgical patients, suggesting that it may serve as a potential non-pharmacological adjunct to perioperative care. However, due to the limited number and small sample size of the included studies, more large-scale, rigorously designed trials are warranted to strengthen this evidence.
Implications For Clinical Practice:
Given the preliminary nature of the evidence and the potential contribution of placebo effects to the observed outcomes, clinicians should interpret these findings with due caution. The available data suggest that Reiki may offer some symptom relief in perioperative settings, but routine integration into standard care protocols cannot be recommended based on current evidence. If implemented on an individual basis, its use should be considered as a complement to, not a replacement for, established pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Healthcare institutions should prioritize rigorous evaluation and sham-controlled research over protocol development at this stage, reserving structured implementation until higher-quality trials confirm specific therapeutic benefits beyond placebo.