A service evaluation study exploring the therapeutic effectiveness of a Reiki intervention in the local Community of cancer patients

Abstract

Objective To explore the perceived therapeutic benefits of Reiki on health outcomes in a local community of patients attending treatment at a Cancer Treatment Centre (CTC). Background Reiki was introduced as a new therapy to enhance the provision of a holistic complementary care package to patients at the Cancer Support Centre (CSC). At the time of its delivery, not a great deal was known about its benefits, thus emphasising the need for a Reiki service evaluation to develop an understanding based on patient experiences concerning its perceived benefits. Method An exploratory service evaluation was conducted using an uncontrolled before-and-after design with a group of inpatients (n= 75) and outpatients (n = 25) from the CTC. Reiki therapy was evaluated using an in-house instrument comprising four surveys. Measures were taken at baseline assessment and same-day follow-up in both inpatients and outpatients, with two additional follow-up time points at week two and five for outpatients. Findings An exploration of the data indicated that Reiki can provide significant therapeutic relief for the rest of the day and up to one week. Participants felt Reiki was helpful in improving symptoms of pain, tension, calmness, anxiety, stress, low mood, and trouble sleeping. Positive correlations were also found between expectations of Reiki's perceived helpfulness at baseline and perceived symptomatic improvement in tension and calmness at follow-up. Overall, the experiences were positive; 88% of participants stated they were likely to seek Reiki elsewhere and 100% stated they would recommend it to others. These findings demonstrate that Reiki is a valuable complementary therapy that is able to attenuate the stress of cancer, and its provision within hospitals settings can improve supportive care services offered to patients.