QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH ON THERAPEUTIC TOUCH - AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OFTHE LITERATURE 1985-1995

Quantitative research on Therapeutic Touch (TT), published in refereed nursing journals from 1985 to 1995, is reviewed. Therapeutic Touch is defined by Dolores Krieger, the founder of this nursing intervention. The authors of this Integrative Review examine what is known and not known to date in order to facilitate appropriate application of this m odality in practice, and to offer recommendations for future research. Critical characteristics of eleven quantitative studies are identifie d and analyzed. These characteristics include: author/year/journal/tit le; study purpose (hypotheses); background/literature review/conceptua l citations; sample selection method; study design/random assignment; independent variable/length of treatment/control and confounders; depe ndent variables/measurements; outcomes; study limitations; and implica tions for future research. After reviewing the studies, it is conclude d that there is evidence to support the practice of Therapeutic Touch for the reduction of pain or anxiety. There is clearly a lack of congr uity between the research statement, conceptual framework, operational definition of TT and the findings. This incongruity is discussed and incorporated in the recommendations for future research including outc ome, theory-generating and theory-testing research.