The effects of Reiki and back massage on women's pain and vital signs post-abdominal hysterectomy: A randomized controlled trial: The Effects of Reiki and Back Massage on Women's Pain and Vital Signs

Background:
Using Reiki and back massage to support pharmacological treatments is increasingly common in nursing. This study aimed to determine the effects of Reiki and back massage on pain, analgesic use, and vital signs among women who had undergone an open abdominal hysterectomy.

Methods:
This experimental study involved a single, blinded, pretest-posttest design. The study population comprised women who had undergone an abdominal hysterectomy at the obstetrics clinics of Gazi Yaşargil Training and Research Hospital and Dicle University Hospital between July 2017 and February 2018. Patients were divided into three groups: a Reiki group, a back massage group, and a control group. Each group comprised 34 patients. Reiki or back massage was applied to patients in the respective non-control groups for 20 min once a day. Data were collected using a patient information form, the "Numeric Pain Rating Scale," and the "Vital Signs and Postoperative Analgesic Follow-up Form."

Results:
Statistically significant differences in pain intensity and analgesic use were observed between the women in the Reiki group and the women in the back massage and control groups (p < 0.001). Significant differences in vital signs were observed between the groups before and after their respective procedures; in the Reiki group, they tended to decrease, while in the back massage and control groups, they tended to increase.

Conclusion:
This study's findings confirmed that pain, analgesic use, and vital signs decreased after Reiki among women who had undergone an abdominal hysterectomy.

Keywords: Back massage; Hysterectomy; Pain; Reiki; Vital signs.

PMID: 34312086 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2021.07.004