Training Family Caregivers in Hand and Foot Massage for Hospitalized Patients: Feasibility, Challenges, and Lessons Learned

Increasingly, research is demonstrating the safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction associated with use of nonpharmacological, complementary interventions for pain management in hospital settings. One such intervention, massage, has been found to be effective for pain and anxiety reduction in limited forms, such as described here, massage is relatively easy to learn and apply. The pilot project was designed to develop and assess a clinical intervention using hand and foot massage for management of pain and anxiety in inpatients on a rehabilitation unit. Methods included formal training of staff nurses in hand and foot massage and subsequently having them teach key family caregivers of the patient how to deliver hand or foot massage in response to reports of pain and anxiety. The report describes study rationale, project development, challenges to implementation in an academic, tertiary care, inpatient rehabilitation facility, and lessons learned for future project design and implementation. The need for a community-based participatory research perspective is addressed.