title: Nursing grand rounds.
abstract: Therapeutic touch is an energy-based nursing intervention performed with the goals of restoring harmony and balance in the human energy field and helping the patient self-heal. This article discusses the process of therapeutic touch and describes case studies of CCU patients on whom therapeutic touch was used as part of the treatment plan. Therapeutic touch was applied to help stabilize patients, calm agitated and intubated patients, and relieve pain. The experiences related had a calming effect on the practitioner and positive family responses.
authors.affiliation: ICU/SDU/Telemetry, Scripps Memorial Hospital-La Jolla, California, USA.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Steckel
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D003325:Coronary Care Units; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D012064:Relaxation Therapy; D019124:Therapeutic Touch