Therapeutic touch, nursing practice and contemporary cutaneous wound healing research

The nursing profession is and always has been at the cutting edge of research and development into innovative and effective methods to treat, manage and enhance wound regeneration. One such method which was developed specifically for nursing science is a non-invasive, easily administered technique known as therapeutic touch (TT). Although there have been numerous anecdotal reports over the last two decades attesting to the efficacy of TT for cutaneous wounds, there have been only five experimental studies to date which have examined the phenomena in a scientifically rigorous manner. These five studies utilized randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled protocols to analyse the effect of an experimental derivative of TT - non-contact therapeutic touch (NCTT) - on the healing rate of surgically administered full thickness human dermal wounds. The experiments introduced many original concepts and approaches to healing research and nursing practice. The data from the five studies indicated a statistically significant accelerated rate of wound healing for the treatment group in the initial two experiments, and non-significant and reverse significant effects for the remaining three studies. Although, experimentally, these results are far from impressive, clinically, the significant results of the first two experiments should be enough to encourage the nurse clinician to explore and utilize a similar non-invasive TT treatment method for patients with dermal lacerations. While the results of the studies were inconsistent overall, the series of experiments nonetheless significantly expanded the theoretical boundaries and understanding of the TT process and, due to the rigorous, double-blind methodological protocols used, have established the critical groundwork and guidelines for future nursing science research in the area.