Reiki intervention for supporting healthcare professional care behaviors in pediatric palliative care: A pilot study

Reiki intervention for supporting healthcare professional care behaviors in pediatric palliative care: A pilot study

Zucchetti G; Ciappina S; Bottigelli C; Campione G; Parrinello A; Piu P; Lijoi S; Quarello P; Fagioli F

Palliative and Supportive Care

2023

burnout; care behavior; health care personnel; palliative therapy; psychologist; Reiki; alternative medicine; article; child; child psychology; clinical practice; clinical psychology; controlled study; diastolic blood pressure; emotional stress; heart rate; human; Italy; nurse; oxygen saturation; Palliative Care; Pilot Projects; pilot study; self care; special situation for pharmacovigilance; systolic blood pressure; work environment; workplace

OBJECTIVES: Pediatric healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in a palliative setting may experience challenges during their clinical practice in addressing the complex end-of-life phase of children and their families. Nurses, especially, have a frontline role in providing assistance, thereby becoming at risk of physical and psychological burden. Pediatric psychologists have an ethical responsibility to help colleagues by proposing self-care interventions that will improve their well-being and, indirectly, the work climate. This study investigated the impact of a complementary therapy, delivered by a pediatric psychologist and a nurse, on physical and psychological variables among nurses at the Paediatric Hospice of the Regina Margherita Children's Hospital in Italy. <br/>METHOD(S): Thirty-five nurses participated in 5 weeks of Reiki sessions for an overall total of 175 sessions. The effect of the sessions was analyzed through a paired t-test analysis comparing the values of heart rate, oxygen saturation, and systolic and diastolic pressure collected before and after each session. The same test was conducted comparing the values of the 3 burnout subscales for each of the 35 nurses collected before the beginning of the first session with those collected at the end of the last session 2 months later. <br/>RESULT(S): Results underlined a positive short-term effect with a significant decrease in heart rate before and after each session (t = 11.5, p < .001) and in systolic pressure (t = 2, p < .05). In addition, a decrease in emotional exhaustion symptoms was found (t = 2.3, p < .05) at the end of the intervention. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Reiki could be a valid strategy to complement traditional pediatric psychology clinical practice designed to protect HCPs from emotional and physical demands and to create a more supportive workplace for staff and patients alike.

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

March List 2024