title: The implementation and evaluation of therapeutic touch in burn patients: an instructive experience of conducting a scientific study within a non-academic nursing setting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluation of therapeutic touch (TT) in the nursing of burn patients; post hoc evaluation of the research process in a non-academic nursing setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  38 burn patients received either TT or nursing presence. On admission, days 2, 5 and 10 of hospitalization, data were collected on anxiety for pain, salivary cortisol, and pain medication. Interviews with nurses were held concerning research in a non-academic setting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anxiety for pain was more reduced on day 10 in the TT-group. The TT-group was prescribed less morphine on day 1 and 2. On day 2 cortisol level before dressing changes was higher in the TT-group. The situational challenges of this study led to inconsistencies in data collection and a high patient attrition rate, weakening its statistical power.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Conducting an effect study within daily nursing practice should not be done with a nursing staff inexperienced in research. Analysis of the remaining data justifies further research on TT for burn patients with pain, anxiety for pain, and cortisol levels as outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Administering and evaluating TT during daily care requires nurses experienced both in TT and research, thus leading to less attrition and missing data, increasing the power of future studies.
authors.affiliation: Van Praag Instituut, Utrecht, The Netherlands. mbusch@vanpraaginstituut.nl
authors.forename: Martine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.forename: Adriaan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Visser
authors.forename: Maggie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eybrechts
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Komen
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Oen
authors.forename: Miranda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olff
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dokter
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Boxma
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D002056:Burns / Q000150:complications / Q000451:nursing* / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010146:Pain / Q000451:nursing*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019124:Therapeutic Touch / Q000379:methods / Q000451:nursing*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone