Relieving pressure – An evaluation of shiatsu treatments for cancer and palliative care patients in an NHS setting

Abstract

Abstract Introduction The study investigated the effectiveness of Shiatsu therapy in relation to the management of health and wellbeing concerns of cancer and palliative care patients in an out-patient clinic. Method Patients are referred to the Complementary Therapies Service for symptom management, particularly stress and anxiety, but also other symptoms such as nausea or insomnia. Data was collected following use of the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCaW) questionnaire, which was designed for evaluating supportive care interventions. Results Mean changes in post-intervention MYCaW scores were highly significant (p Conclusion Anxiety, stress management and pain scores were the most improved. Wellbeing scores also improved, on average, by two points on the Likert scale. Patients stated that ‘being listened to’ and ‘being heard’ were important factors when describing how Shiatsu had helped. We suggest that a study using larger numbers is necessary in order to provide more robust evidence rather than emerging trends.