title: Improving the well-being of nursing leaders through healing touch training.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic stress adversely affects performance. We evaluated the effect of Healing Touch training on subjective and objective measures of stress in nursing leaders in an academic health center.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this quasi-experimental single group pretest-post-test study, we recruited nursing leaders at an academic health center and provided 17.5 hours of Healing Touch training over 2 days. We measured subjective measures of stress using visual analog scales as well as heart rate variability 1-2 weeks before and 4 weeks after the training.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Target enrollment was exceeded within 2 weeks; all participants were women and the mean age was 47 years. Of the 26 enrollees, 24 completed training, and 20 (77%) completed all pre- and post-training measures. There was significant improvement in self-reported stress, depression, anxiety, relaxation, well-being, and sleep. Heart rate variability changes were also significant for total power, high- and low-frequency power, and coherence, suggesting improved autonomic function consistent with greater well-being.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Training nurse leaders in an academic health center in Healing Touch is associated with significant improvements in subjective and objective measures of stress. Additional studies are needed to compare the impact of this training versus stress management training on the nurses themselves and on the quality of care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Medical Center Boulevard,Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tegeler
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Larrimore
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cowgill
authors.forename: Kathi J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kemper
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008875:Middle Aged; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D019124:Therapeutic Touch / Q000451:nursing*