Efetividade do Reiki na melhora da dor de pacientes oncológicos paliativos: em cuidados paliativos: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

ntroduction: Reiki has demonstrated its value as part of supportive cancer treatment, being introduced into integrative oncology. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Alternative, Complementary and/or Integrative Therapies are denominated as non-allopathic health care practice. In them, the holistic practice of care is sought, a foundation that is based on the bond between patients and practicing health professionals. Knowing that pain is seen as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience, as well as a physical one, and that it directly impacts the quality of life of patients undergoing palliative care, the use of complementary therapies such as Reiki could have a positive global effect and be useful in reduction of painful symptoms. Objective: This study aimed to verify the effectiveness of Reiki in improving pain, comfort and well-being of cancer patients in palliative care. Method: The review was performed based on the Cochrane Collaboration methodology and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The electronic search strategy employed included the following databases: MEDLINE – Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (via PubMed), Excerpta Medica Database (Embase), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), BVS and gray literature (site of the open grey). The review protocol was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) platform under registration CRD42021236562. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that were evaluating Reiki in the pain of cancer patients in palliative care were selected. Two independent reviewers selected, extracted data, assessed the methodological quality of the included studies (RoB 2) and the quality of evidence (GRADE). Results: Of the 48 articles found, only 3 met the inclusion criteria. The total number of participants was 233. The duration of the Reiki sessions ranged from 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. The risk of bias assessment considered the three studies with trial results presenting some concerns/uncertainties. The quality of evidence for the outcome pain is very low, for the outcomes comfort and well-being it is low. Conclusions: The results presented in studies that met the inclusion criteria indicate that Reiki or therapeutic touch as a complementary therapy can improve patients' pain, but the low sample size, unavailability of data, heterogeneity, as well as methodological issues of the studies included in this review allow us to state that there is no conclusive evidence on the effectiveness of Reiki in improving cancer pain in patients undergoing palliative care.