Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Nov;24(6):414-429.
doi: 10.1111/nicc.12417. Epub 2019 Mar 4.

Effects of massage on outcomes of adult intensive care unit patients: a systematic review

Sameera Jagan  1 , Tanya Park  1 , Elizabeth Papathanassoglou  1
Affiliations

Effects of massage on outcomes of adult intensive care unit patients: a systematic review

Sameera Jagan et al. Nurs Crit Care. 2019 Nov.

Abstract

Background: The critical care experience is particularly stressful for patients, which can result in a number of physiological and psychological consequences, including haemodynamic instability, increased pain, agitation and delirium, leading to prolonged mechanical ventilation, length of stay and subsequent complications. Massage therapy encompasses different techniques to promote relaxation and to counter stress, therefore potentially affecting several patients' outcomes.

Aims: To systematically review evidence on the effects of massage on outcomes of adult critically ill patients. The outcome measures included pain, vital signs (VS), haemodynamic measurements, level of consciousness, sleep quality, muscle tension, anxiety, feelings of calm and relaxation, coping, arterial blood gases and serum biomarkers.

Method: This was a systematic review based on focused literature searches (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, EMBASE-Ovid databases, Google Scholar). The Cochrane Collaboration's tool was used to assess the risk of bias. Eligibility criteria included published experimental and quasi-experimental studies reporting on the physiological and psychological outcomes of critically ill patients.

Results: Based on the selection criteria, 12 studies were included in the review. The main findings are as follows: 8 of 12 studies used randomized control designs with high internal validity, and there was a high level of evidence of favourable effects with respect to improvements in VS and a reduction in pain and anxiety. Outcomes that need to be more rigorously pursued include quality of sleep, analgesic and sedative dosages and level of consciousness.

Conclusion: The results suggest that massage interventions can have positive effects on critically ill patients' outcomes. However, there are several gaps in the literature, along with methodological limitations, that require further consideration in critical care settings.

Relevance to clinical practice: The results of this systematic review can inform implementation of massage interventions in critical care, which can be challenging as a result of several barriers.

Keywords: Complementary and alternative therapies; Critical illness; Massage therapy; Physiological outcomes; Psychological outcomes.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

REFERENCES

    1. Alves da Silva T, Stripari Schujmann D, Yamada da Silveira LT, Caromano FA, Fu C. (2016). Quasi experimental study: effect of therapeutic Swedish massage on anxiety level and vital signs of intensive care unit patients. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies; 21: 565-568.
    1. Asadizaker M, Fathizadeh A, Haidari A, Goharpai S, Fayzi S. (2011). The effect of foot and hand massage on postoperative cardiac surgery pain. International Journal of Nursing and Midwifery; 3: 165-169.
    1. Barr J, Fraser GL, Puntillo K, Ely EW, Gelinas C, Dasta JF, Davidson JE, Devlin JW, Kress JP, Joffe AM, Coursin DB, Herr DL, Tung A, Robinson BRH, Fontaine DK, Ramsay MA, Riker RR, Sessler CN, Pun B, Skrobik Y, Jaeschke R. (2013). Clinical practice guidelines for the management of pain, agitation, and delirium in adult patients in the intensive care unit. Critical Care Medicine; 41: 263-306.
    1. Boitor M, Martorella G, Arbour C, Michaud C, Gelinas C. (2015). Original article: evaluation of the preliminary effectiveness of hand massage therapy on postoperative pain of adults in the intensive care unit after cardiac surgery: a pilot randomized controlled trial. Pain Management Nursing; 16: 354-366.
    1. Boitor M, Gelinas C, Richard-Lalonde M, Thombs BD. (2017). The effect of massage on acute postoperative pain in critically and acutely ill adults post-thoracic surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Heart & Lung; 46: 339-346.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources