Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

Stress caused by late-identified and unmet needs of caregivers negatively affect the physical and emotional health of patients and caregivers as well as their compliance with the treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the problems experienced by caregivers and to plan a number of attempts to reduce stress levels. Complementary and integrated practices for caregivers to manage their stresses are increasingly preferred approaches in recent years for many different reasons. One of these integrative practices, Reiki, is an energy therapy involving the use of energy that flows naturally from the hands of the practitioner to strengthen the body's ability to heal itself in order to increase well-being. This study was conducted using a pre-test and post-test, single-blind randomized controlled trial pattern and semi-structured in-depth interview method of qualitative research in order to evaluate the effect of Reiki on stress levels applied to individuals caring for cancer patients. The study comprised 42 women who were primary caregivers of cancer patients in total, as 21 women in Reiki group and 21 women in sham Reiki group. The approval of ethics committee, permissions from the institutions, and informed voluntary approval of the individuals were obtained to conduct the research. The data of the research were collected through the application of Caregiver Stress Scale (CSS), form for care giver's opinions on Reiki experience and application monitoring form including cortisol levels analyzed from saliva samples collected before and after application and measurements of pulse rate and blood pressure values. While Reiki group received reiki to 9 main points for 45 minutes per day for 6 weeks, in the sham Reiki group the same points were touched during the same period without starting energy flow. Caregiver Stress Scale (CSS) and salivary cortisol level were evaluated at the baseline and end of the study, whereas systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse rate were evaluated before and after application every week. At the end of the study, the opinions of the Reiki group on Reiki experience were collected by using a form consisting of semi-structured questions. The value of p<0.05 was accepted statistically significant in the data analyses. Descriptive and content analysis methods were used to evaluate the qualitative data.


Clinical Trial Description

In this study, women who care for cancer patients received reiki to 9 main points including 7 chakra as well as ankle and feet for 45 minutes once a week for 6 weeks to determine its effect on stress level using a pretest-posttest randomized controlled single-blind study design of quantitative trial and semi-structured in-depth interview method of qualitative trial.The study was conducted in the medical oncology unit of a university hospital in Turkey. The data collection process continued from August 2018 to April 2019 and was reported in accordance with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines. To be included in the study, a total of 86 caregivers were directed to the investigator by the charge nurse of the chemotherapy unit. The investigator evaluated the criteria for inclusion into study by conducting a preliminary interview with the directed caregivers. A total of 86 caregivers were evaluated; 61 were found eligible for the study and 51 caregivers agreed to participate into the study. Caregivers were assigned to reiki and sham reiki groups. One caregiver in the Reiki group was excluded from the study on the first application day because he/she could not provide a saliva sample. 4 of the caregivers in the sham reiki group did not continue their application appointments after the first week, and 4 of the caregivers in the sham reiki group left the study stating that they did not want to continue due to the deterioration in prognosis of the caretakers. The study was completed with a total of 42 caregivers ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT04461873
Study type Interventional
Source TC Erciyes University
Contact
Status Completed
Phase N/A
Start date August 6, 2018
Completion date April 6, 2019

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Recruiting NCT04936828 - Ecological Momentary Intervention for Stroke Caregivers' Psychological Support N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT05029193 - Effectiveness of Mindfulness After a Stroke N/A
Completed NCT04682535 - Daily Study of Caregiving Relationships and Health
Completed NCT04271046 - STAR Caregivers - Virtual Training and Follow-up N/A
Completed NCT04037501 - Effectiveness of a Care Management System to Reduce Unmet Needs of Informal Caregivers of People With Dementia N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT04548089 - Mindful-Compassion Art Therapy for Dementia Care (MCAT-DC) : A Waitlist Randomized Controlled Trial N/A
Completed NCT04626804 - Remember Stuff: A Dyadic-focused Technology to Support Persons With Alzheimer's Disease in the Community N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT04811807 - Clinical Response of Impulsivity After Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease
Completed NCT05150990 - Technology and Family Thriving Study N/A
Completed NCT05620368 - Mindfulness for Mothers of Children With Disabilities N/A
Recruiting NCT04143763 - Mobile Message Intervention for Stroke Caregivers' Psychological Support N/A
Completed NCT04150055 - mHealth Mindfulness for Dementia Caregivers N/A
Enrolling by invitation NCT04250103 - Home-based Longitudinal Investigation of the Multidisciplinary Team Integrated Care
Recruiting NCT04901637 - Musculoskeletal Problems in Caregivers of Stroke Survivors
Recruiting NCT04861610 - Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Caregivers of Frail Older Chinese Adults N/A
Completed NCT06049043 - Testing Preliminary Effectiveness of a CHW Training Program to Support African American and Latino Male Caregivers N/A
Completed NCT04394260 - Equality in Caregiving: Facilitating Caregiver Mastery Among LGBT Caregivers of PLWD
Recruiting NCT04627662 - Using Technology to Support Care Partners for Persons With Alzheimer's Disease: Tele-STELLA N/A
Completed NCT04648098 - Effect of Post-stroke Discharge Training N/A
Completed NCT04838197 - Understanding Caregiver Burden for Hip and Knee Replacement Surgery Patients