Healing Touch as a Method for Supporting Holistic Nursing Practice: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

Robust studies are necessary to support holistic solutions in healthcare, a tenet of holistic nursing practice. The purpose of this holistic study was to assess the quantitative and qualitative impact of healing touch on nurses' stress perception mid-shift. Recruitment of 128 RNs achieved a power of .7 and medium affect size. Vital signs and Visual Analog Scale for Stress (VASS) scores pre, post, and follow-up of healing touch or deep breathing groups revealed statistically significant Repeated Measures MANOVA findings in favor of healing touch. Pre-post intervention Heart Rate, Respiratory Rate, and VASS scores, p = .000, p = .019, and p = .005, respectively, and pre to follow-up Respiratory Rate, and VASS scores, p = .000 and .002, respectively. Qualitative findings affirmed nurses had greater stress reduction receiving healing touch than deep breathing, mid-shift.