The effects of relaxation touch on the recovery level of postanesthesia abdominal hysterectomy patients

This experimental study investigated the effects of relaxation touch, on the recovery level and relaxation response of postanesthesia abdominal hysterectomy patients. Sixty patients were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (a) relaxation touch, energy-stimulating manipulations (b) back massage, and (c) no treatment. A nursing assessment was used to measure the recovery level. The relaxation response was evaluated by pre- and posttreatment measurements of blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate. The results of analysis of variance with repeated measures and analysis of covariance indicated that the relaxation touch subjects had a significantly higher level of recovery than the two controls on lung, gastrointestinal, and urinary status at R < 0.05. Reduction of systolic and diastolic blood pressures and pulse rate, were statistically significant for the relaxation touch group at R < 0.05. The amount of narcotic analgesia and bowel treatments were less for the relaxation touch patients than that of the two control groups.