Effects of Reiki on Pain, Anxiety, and Blood Pressure in Patients Undergoing Knee Replacement: A Pilot Study.

This blinded, controlled pilot study investigated the effects of Reiki on 46 patients undergoing knee replacement surgery. Of the 3 groups, Reiki, Sham Reiki, and Standard of Care, only the Reiki group showed significant reductions in pain, blood pressure, respiration rate, and state anxiety, which provides evidence for a full-scale clinical study.

Initiating a Reiki or CAM program in a healthcare organization--developing a business plan.

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) services, such as Reiki, continue to be offered to consumers in many hospitals and other health care organizations. There is growing interest among nurses, doctors, and other health care providers for the integration of CAM therapies into traditional settings. Health care organizations are responding to this need but may not know how to start CAM programs. Starting a Reiki program in a health care setting must be envisioned in a business model approach. This article introduces nurses and other health care providers to the basic concepts of business plan development and important steps to follow when starting a Reiki or CAM program.

Introduction for "Reiki at University Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona, a magnet hospital": Mega R. Mease is interviewed by William Lee Rand.

There is a sustained interest in the use of Reiki among US consumers and health care providers and lay practitioners alike. As a result, hospitals and other health care institutions are incorporating Reiki into patient care services toward the promotion of caring-healing environments. Variations in hospital-based program structures with Reiki are possible and can enhance the use of Reiki into traditional care settings.

Reiki and its journey into a hospital setting.

There is a growing interest among health care providers, especially professional nurses to promote caring-healing approaches in patient care and self-care. Health care environments are places of human caring and holistic nurses are helping to lead the way that contemporary health care institutions must become holistic places of healing. The practice of Reiki as well as other practices can assist in the creation of this transformative process. Abington Memorial Hospital (AMH) in Abington, Pennsylvania is a Magnet-designated health care facility with an Integrative Medicine Services Department. AMH's Integrative Medicine staff focuses on the integration of holistic practices, such as Reiki into traditional patient care. Reiki services at AMH were initiated about 10 years ago through the efforts of a Reiki practitioner/nurse and the vision that healing is facilitated through the nurturing of the mind, body, and spirit for healing and self-healing. AMHs-sustained Reiki program includes Reiki treatments and classes for patients, health care providers, and community members. This program has evolved to include a policy and annual competency for any Reiki-trained nurse and other employees to administer Reiki treatments at the bedside.

The Touchstone Process: an ongoing critical evaluation of reiki in the scientific literature.

BACKGROUND: Reiki is used by a growing number of people but little is known about the scientific basis for its use. PURPOSE: The Touchstone Process was developed as an ongoing process to systematically analyze published, peer-reviewed studies of Reiki, the results being made accessible to the public online. METHOD: Thirteen scientifically qualified experts in the field of Reiki were assembled into 3 teams to retrieve, evaluate, and summarize articles using standardized, piloted evaluation forms. RESULTS: Summaries of 26 Reiki articles, including strengths and weaknesses, were posted on a newly developed Web site (www.centerforreikiresearch.org), together with an overall summary of the status of Reiki research and guidelines for future research: The Touchstone Process determined that only 12 articles were based on a robust experimental design and utilized well-established outcome parameters. Of these articles, 2 provided no support, 5 provided some support, and 5 demonstrated strong evidence for the use of Reiki as a healing modality. CONCLUSION: There is a need for further high-quality studies in this area.

Faculty development and mentorship using selected online asynchronous teaching strategies.

The use of distance learning continues to improve accessibility to nursing education programs, yet online teaching remains an intimidating experience for novice educators. An emerging role in professional faculty development is the online educator, who serves as a mentor for novice faculty. This article presents the necessary elements to plan, organize, and manage asynchronous online courses, especially for novice educators and online faculty mentors. Course engagement and faculty-student online communication strategies are explored using examples. Threaded discussion strategies for engaging students in active, collaborative learning are discussed using specific examples. A threaded discussion grading rubric is included. Strategies to sustain interactive learning and evaluate student learning using examples are offered.

Nurses' lived experience of Reiki for self-care.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of nurses who practice Reiki for self-care. In-person interviews were conducted with 11 nurses who met specific study criteria, using open-ended questions to examine the experience of nurses who are Reiki practitioners, to understand their perceptions of Reiki use in self-treatment, and to appreciate its meaning for them. The Colaizzi method was utilized in data analysis and independent decision trail audits were completed to promote study rigor and trustworthiness of results. Thematic categories and major and minor thematic clusters emerged around the topics of daily stress management, self-healing, spirituality, and interconnectedness of self, others, and beyond. Implications of the study findings for nursing practice and nursing education are discussed. Potential applications of study findings to Jean Watson's transpersonal caring theory located within a caring science framework are explored and recommendations for future research are offered.

An integrative review of Reiki touch therapy research.

Reiki touch therapy is a complementary biofield energy therapy that involves the use of hands to help strengthen the body's ability to heal. There is growing interest among nurses to use Reiki in patient care and as a self-care treatment, however, with little supportive empirical research and evidence to substantiate these practices. The purpose of this integrative review is to begin the systematic process of evaluating the findings of published Reiki research. Selected investigations using Reiki for effects on stress, relaxation, depression, pain, and wound healing management, among others is reviewed and summarized. A summary of Reiki studies table illustrates the study descriptions and Reiki treatment protocols specified in the investigations. Synthesis of findings for clinical practice and implications for future research are explored.

The effect of Reiki on pain and anxiety in women with abdominal hysterectomies: a quasi-experimental pilot study.

The purpose of this pilot study was to compare reports of pain and levels of state anxiety in 2 groups of women after abdominal hysterectomy. A quasi-experimental design was used in which the experimental group (n = 10) received traditional nursing care plus three 30-minute sessions of Reiki, while the control group (n = 12) received traditional nursing care. The results indicated that the experimental group reported less pain and requested fewer analgesics than the control group. Also, the experimental group reported less state anxiety than the control group on discharge at 72 hours postoperation. The authors recommend replication of this study with a similar population, such as women who require nonemergency cesarian section deliveries.

The use of selected energy touch modalities as supportive nursing interventions: are we there yet?

There is growing interest among nurses in complementary therapies that are noninvasive, do not rely on expensive technology, and are holistic in focus. Besides the use of therapeutic touch, nurses are exploring other energy touch therapies, such as Reiki. This article examines the status of selected energy therapies and progress made toward nursing intervention utilization, including recommendations for nursing education applicable for 21st-century nursing practice.