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R
E S E A R C H
Massage
is Feasible in an Acute-Care Setting
At a New York cardiology center, massage therapists
were able to incorporate a 10-minute massage in the time period
between the patient's arrival at the hospital and cardiac catheterization,
according to recent research.
The study, "Massage Therapy for
Patients Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization," was conducted
by Heather Okvat, Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., Windsor Ting, M.D., and Pearila
Namerow, Ph.D., at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
Besides evaluating the feasibility
of massage before cardiac catheterization, researchers also evaluated
whether massage reduced anxiety before, during and after the procedure;
however, they discovered no such improvements.
Seventy-eight subjects, 59 men and
19 women with an average age of 60, participated in the study. Each
person in the massage group received four minutes of massage on
the right side of the body, followed by four minutes of massage
on the left side of the body and one minute of scalp massage. Subjects
in the control group spent 10 minutes of quiet time with a massage
therapist.
"Of particular note was the physicians'
willingness to allow patients to enter the study (12 of 12 physicians
agreed), physicians' and nurses' compliance in integrating study procedures
into normal catheterization laboratory routines, and nurses' voluntary
allocations of time to assist with data collection and interpretation,"
state the study's authors.
Anxiety, pain, blood pressure, heart
rate and respiration rate were measured before the massage or quiet
time, after the massage or quiet time, during catheterization and
after catheterization.
There was no significant difference
between the massage group and the control group in terms of the
physiological outcomes or self-reported levels of pain and anxiety.
Researchers cited several weaknesses
of the study, which may have contributed to the lack of improvement
among massage-group participants: failure to approach patients about
the study prior to their arrival at the hospital; interruptions
from medical staff; a high noise level; standardized massage; and
a short session time.
The results, state the study's authors,
"support the need for studies on a larger scale that would
determine whether longer, more frequent, or more individualized
massage therapy treatments would be beneficial in reducing anxiety
and physical discomfort during cardiac catheterization."
In terms of feasibility, however, the
researchers were able to confirm that massage before cardiac catheterization
is possible and that patients are interested in receiving massage
therapy. Written, informed consent to participate was given by 70.4
percent of patients approached.
The study also established that "medical
staff are supportive of the use of this complementary therapy in
the acute care setting of the catheterization laboratory,"
state the study's authors. "Staff support was evaluated informally
through their verbal comments and the research coordinator's observations
of behavior."
- Source: Division
of Cardiothoracic Surgery of the Department of Surgery of the College
of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University. Authors: Heather
A. Okvat, Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., Windsor Ting, M.D., and Pearila B.
Namerow, Ph.D. Originally published in Alternative Therapies in
Health and Medicine, May/June 2002, Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 68-75.
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