Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Therapeutic touch as a nursing intervention

¹Department of Nursing Studies, University College Dublin, National University of Ireland.

Journal of Advanced Nursing

|August 1, 1998

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

No value-free dialogue.

Journal of nursing scholarship : an official publication of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing·2002

Same author

Encouraging and preserving spirituality.

Image--the journal of nursing scholarship·1996

Same author

. . . and still more on TT.

Research in nursing & health·1995

Same author

Quackery and pseudo-science.

The American journal of nursing·1995

Same author

Integrating nursing research and practice: Part II-A Delphi study of nursing practice priorities for research-based solutions.

Nursing praxis in New Zealand inc·1995

Same author

Integrating nursing research and practice: Part I--A journey into the unknown.

Nursing praxis in New Zealand inc·1994

Same journal

Elderspeak in Healthcare Settings: How Care, Control and Personhood Intersect in Care Communication-A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026

Same journal

A Model for Sustaining Second Victim Peer Support Programs in Healthcare: A Delphi Study.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026

Same journal

The Practice Experience of ICU Nurses in Preventing Pressure Injuries: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026

Same journal

Capturing the Work of Nurses in General Practice: Development and Testing of the OCEAN-GPN Tools.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026

Same journal

The European Parliament's Vote on the EU Health Workforce INI Report: An EFN Commentary.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026

Same journal

Social Avoidance Trajectories, Core Characteristics and Maintenance Factors in Postoperative Breast Cancer Patients: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study.

Journal of advanced nursing·2026

See all related articles

Therapeutic Touch (TT) is a nursing intervention claimed to promote healing. Scientific evidence for TT

Area of Science:

Nursing interventions
Complementary and alternative medicine
Energy field theory

Background:

Therapeutic Touch (TT) is proposed as a nursing intervention to enhance patient comfort and healing.
Its theoretical basis in energy field interactions and lack of physical contact make it controversial.
Understanding TT's role in nursing practice requires examining its development and controversies.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the development and conceptualization of Therapeutic Touch (TT).
To discuss the controversies surrounding TT as a nursing intervention.
To evaluate the scientific evidence for TT's efficacy and its relationship with the placebo effect.

Main Methods:

Review of the historical development of Therapeutic Touch (TT).

Related Experiment Videos

Discussion of theoretical frameworks and points of controversy.

Analysis of controlled efficacy studies on TT.

Exploration of the relationship between TT and placebo effects.

Main Results:

Limited and inconclusive scientific support exists for the proposed effects of Therapeutic Touch (TT).
The practice of TT is intrinsically linked to the placebo phenomenon.
Further research is needed to explore TT's potential to enhance placebo effects.

Conclusions:

Therapeutic Touch (TT) lacks robust scientific validation for its claimed healing effects.
TT may function as an adjuvant nursing intervention by potentially enhancing the placebo effect.
The role of TT in patient care warrants further investigation, particularly concerning its impact on placebo response.