CONTEXT

Surgical patients experience procedure-related anxiety preoperatively. With delays and long waiting periods, surgical patients can experience increased anxiety and decreased satisfaction with their hospital visit.

MAIN OBJECTIVES

To evaluate whether a 15-minute non-therapeutic hand massage provided by the Caring Hands massage volunteers would reduce anxiety levels, increase satisfaction, and decrease physiological parameters among preoperative surgical patients.

DESIGN

This research study has a quasi-experimental design, with control and intervention groups, and pre and post-tests.

SETTING

This research study was conducted at Same Day Surgical Stations 53 and 63 at the Mayo Clinic Hospital, Methodist Campus, in Rochester Minnesota.

PATIENTS

One hundred and thirty-eight surgical outpatients were recruited preoperatively, with 31 participants in the control group and 107 in the intervention group.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients in the control group were asked to rest for 15 min. Patients in the intervention group received a 15-minute non-therapeutic hand massage administered by the Caring Hands massage volunteers from the Mayo Clinic Volunteer Program.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Patient anxiety level and physiological parameters were measured and recorded before and after a resting session (control group) or a 15-minute non-therapeutic hand massage session (intervention group). Patients in the intervention group were also surveyed for satisfaction. The feasibility of incorporating a 15-minute non-therapeutic hand massage into the preoperative routine was also analyzed.

RESULTS

After receiving a 15-minute non-therapeutic hand massage, patients experienced reduced anxiety levels and increased satisfaction. It was also found that it is feasible to add a 15-minute non-therapeutic hand massage to the routine of a same-day surgical station.