Does therapeutic touch ease the discomfort or distress of patients undergoing stereotactic core breast biopsy? A randomized clinical trial

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether therapeutic touch administered at the time of stereotactic core biopsy of suspicious breast lesions results in a reduction in anxiety and pain.

Design: Randomized, patient-blinded, controlled trial of either Krieger-Kunz therapeutic touch administered by a trained practitioner or a sham intervention mimicking therapeutic touch delivered during core biopsy.

Setting: Stereotactic breast biopsy unit of a comprehensive breast center.

Patients: Women with mammographically detected, nonpalpable breast lesions requiring biopsy.

Outcome measures: Changes in pain and anxiety measured by visual analog scales immediately before and after stereotactic core biopsy.

Results: A total of 82 patients were accrued: 42 received actual therapeutic touch and 40 sham therapeutic touch. No significant differences were found between the arms for age, ethnicity, educational background, or other demographic data. The sham arm had a preponderance of left breast biopsies (48% vs 58%; P = 0.07) and received a slightly higher volume of epinephrine-containing local anesthetic (6.5 +/- 6.1 vs 4.5 +/- 4.5 mL; P = 0.09). Therapeutic touch patients were more likely to have an upper breast lesion location (57% vs 53%; P = 0.022). No significant differences between the arms were seen regarding postbiopsy pain (P = 0.95), anxiety (P = 0.66), fearfulness, or physiological parameters. Similarly, no differences were seen between the arms when change in parameters from prebiopsy to postbiopsy was considered for any of the psychological or physiological variables measured. These findings persisted when confounding variables were controlled for.

Conclusions: Women undergoing stereotactic core breast biopsy received no significant benefit from therapeutic touch administered during the procedure. Therapeutic touch cannot be routinely recommended for patients in this setting.