Beneficial Effects of Guided Imagery or Clinical Massage on the Status of Patients in a Progressive Care Unit

Crit Care Nurse. 2017 Feb;37(1):62-69. doi: 10.4037/ccn2017282.

Abstract

Background: Patients in the progressive care unit typically experience high levels of pain and anxiety and exhibit difficulty sleeping.

Objective: To determine whether either clinical massage or guided imagery could reduce pain and anxiety and improve sleep.

Methods: This study included 288 inpatients on 2 floors of a progressive care unit. On 1 floor, each patient was offered daily a 15-minute complimentary clinical massage, whereas the patients on the other floor were provided access to a 30-minute guided-imagery recording. Patients were asked to rate their pain and anxiety levels immediately before and after the massage intervention or were asked whether the guided-imagery intervention was helpful for pain, anxiety, or insomnia.

Results: The massage intervention showed an immediate and significant reduction in self-reported pain and anxiety (P < .001); likewise, a significant number of patients self-reported that guided imagery helped alleviate pain, anxiety, and insomnia (P < .001).

Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that clinical massage and guided imagery can benefit patients in the progressive care unit.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Anxiety / physiopathology
  • Anxiety / therapy*
  • Complementary Therapies / methods
  • Female
  • Hospital Costs
  • Hospital Units / classification*
  • Humans
  • Imagery, Psychotherapy / economics
  • Imagery, Psychotherapy / methods*
  • Inpatients / statistics & numerical data
  • Male
  • Massage / economics
  • Massage / methods*
  • Michigan
  • Pain / diagnosis*
  • Pain Management / methods*
  • Pain Measurement
  • Patient Satisfaction / statistics & numerical data
  • Pilot Projects
  • Risk Assessment
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Tertiary Care Centers
  • Treatment Outcome