An investigation of the effects of therapeutic touch plan on acute chemotherapy-induced nausea in women with breast cancer in Isfahan, Iran, 2012–2013

INTRODUCTION: Nausea is the worst and most prevalent chemotherapy-induced complication experienced by 70–80% of patients despite mediation therapy. Reduction of nausea is one of the most important roles of oncologist nurses. Today, complementary therapies in addition to classic medicine, because of their lower costs, receive much attention. Nonetheless, their safety and effectiveness are not yet proven. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effect of therapeutic touch plan as a complementary therapy on acute nausea in women with breast cancer in 2012–2013 in Isfahan, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental, single-blind, randomized control trial with three groups (control, placebo and intervention) was performed at the Isfahan Seyedolshohada (AS) Teaching Hospital, Isfahan, in 2012–2013. The intervention was therapeutic touch plan on women with breast cancer, with the three groups receiving the same medicine regimen. Information was recorded by a checklist after infusion of chemotherapy drugs. Data analysis was performed by SPSS, ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests. RESULTS: The ANOVA test showed that the therapeutic touch plan was significantly effective in reducing the duration of nausea compared with the control and placebo groups (P < 0.001). The Kruskal–Wallis test showed that the frequency of occurrence of nausea was also reduced in the intervention and placebo groups compared with the control group (P < 0.001). The therapeutic touch plan was significantly effective in delaying the onset of nausea compared with the control and placebo groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This research showed that the therapeutic touch plan is effective in reducing acute chemotherapy-induced nausea; thus, education and implementation of the therapeutic touch plan is proposed for clinical nurses.