Congress Abstracts 2004

18

DEVISING AND IMPLEMENTING A THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE PROGRAM FOR HOSPITALIZED ONCOLOGY PATIENTS. Sally Welsh, MSN, RN, CNAA, Michele Stephens, RN, MSN, APRN, AOCN^®, Jennifer Currin, MSW, Katy Keyes, LMT, and Norma Sheridan Leos, RN, MSN, AOCN^®, CPHQ, Curtis and Elizabeth Anderson Cancer Institute, Savannah, GA.

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer can overwhelm many patients. Patients treated in the hospital setting face the additional pressure of being away from loved ones and their daily routine. Recent and past literature supports the use of massage to enhance comfort and diminish distress. The poster will describe how a massage program was devised, implemented, and evaluated in the inpatient setting. Detail will be provided so other organizations can replicate this ongoing project.

1. To devise and implement a therapeutic massage program for hospitalized patients with cancer

2. To measure the effects of therapeutic massage on the perception of pain, physical distress, emotional distress, and fatigue in patients hospitalized during the treatment of cancer

To date, 50 hospitalized oncology patients have enrolled in the program. Oncology nurses introduce the program to hospitalized patients who meet the criteria for participation based upon their health status and risk of infection. An oncology social worker meets with participants prior to their massage to educate them about the massage process. Each participant receives a 20-minute therapeutic massage from a licensed massage therapist affiliated with the hospital-based center for mind-body medicine. Following the massage, the patients rank their distress pre- and post-massage using a Likert scale. The four factors measured are pain, physical distress, emotional distress, and fatigue.

To date, the mean scores for pain, physical and emotional distress, and fatigue have each improved following a 20-minute massage. The level of pain showed the most improvement with a 24% decrease in subjective description of pain.

In this population, therapeutic massage has been beneficial for a number of the patients. This project indicates the need for continued research in the study of therapeutic massage as a nursing technique for hospitalized patients with cancer.