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Therapeutic touch for healing acute wounds

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Abstract

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Background

Therapeutic Touch (TT) is an alternative therapy that has gained popularity over the past two decades for helping wounds to heal. Practitioners enter a meditative state and pass their hands above the patient's body to find and correct any imbalances in the patient's 'life energy' or chi. Scientific instruments have been unable to detect this energy. The effect of TT on wound healing has been expounded in anecdotal publications.

Objectives

To identify and review all relevant data to determine the effects of TT on healing acute wounds.

Search methods

For this third update, searches were conducted in the following databases: the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (Searched 31/3/10); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2010 Issue 1, 2010); Ovid MEDLINE (2007 to March Week 3, 2010); Ovid MEDLINE ‐ In‐Process & Other Non‐Indexed Citations (Searched 30/3/10); Ovid EMBASE (2007 to 2010 Week 11); and EBSCO CINAHL (2007 to March 26, 2010).

Selection criteria

All randomised or quasi‐randomised controlled trials, which compared the effect of TT with a placebo, another treatment, or no treatment control were considered. Studies which used TT as a stand‐alone treatment, or as an adjunct to other therapies, were eligible.

Data collection and analysis

One author (DO'M) determined the eligibility for inclusion of all trials in the review. Both authors conducted data extraction and evaluation of trial validity independently. Each trial was assessed using predetermined criteria.

Main results

No new trials were identified for this update. Four trials in people with experimental wounds were included. The effect of TT on wound healing in these studies was variable. Two trials (n = 44 & 24) demonstrated a significant increase in healing associated with TT, while one trial found significantly worse healing after TT and the other found no significant difference. All trials are at high risk of bias.

Authors' conclusions

There is no robust evidence that TT promotes healing of acute wounds.

PICOs

Population
Intervention
Comparison
Outcome

The PICO model is widely used and taught in evidence-based health care as a strategy for formulating questions and search strategies and for characterizing clinical studies or meta-analyses. PICO stands for four different potential components of a clinical question: Patient, Population or Problem; Intervention; Comparison; Outcome.

See more on using PICO in the Cochrane Handbook.

Plain language summary

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Therapeutic touch therapy for healing acute wounds.

Therapeutic touch is an alternative therapy that is gaining popularity as a wound treatment. Practitioners enter a meditative state and pass their hands above the patient's body to find and correct any imbalances in the patient's 'life energy' or chi. Scientific instruments have been unable to detect this energy. The review found contradictory evidence about the effects of therapeutic touch. Some trials showed a benefit while others suggested that the process slowed the rate of healing. The review concluded that trials do not show therapeutic touch to be beneficial in healing wounds from minor surgery and that the trials are at high risk of bias.