CONTEXT: The use of complementary therapies in conjunction with conventional care has great potential to address patient pain, complication rates, and recovery time. Few studies of such therapies have been conducted in hospital settings where some of the most stressful procedures are performed on a regular basis. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that patients receiving healing touch (HT) would see improved outcomes. DESIGN: Patients were randomized into 1 of 3 treatment groups: no intervention, partial intervention (visitors), and an HT group. SETTING: This study was conducted in an acute-care hospital in a large metropolitan area. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Patients undergoing first-time elective coronary artery bypass surgery were invited to participate. There were 237 study subjects. INTERVENTION: HT is an energy-based therapeutic approach to healing that arose out of nursing in the early 1980s. HT aids relaxation and supports the body's natural healing process. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: This study consisted of 6 outcome measures: postoperative length of stay, incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation, use of anti-emetic medication, amount of narcotic pain medication, functional status, and anxiety. RESULTS: Analysis was conducted for all patients and separately by inpatient/outpatient status. Though no significant decrease in the use of pain medication, anti-emetic medication, or incidence of atrial fibrillation was observed, significant differences were noted in anxiety scores and length ofstay. All HT patients showed a greater decrease in anxiety scores when compared to the visitor and control groups. In addition, there was a significant difference in outpatient HT length of stay when compared to the visitor and control groups.

MacIntyre B, Hamilton J, Fricke T, Ma W, Mehle S, Michel M. Cardiovascular Telemetry, HealthEast Saint Joseph's Hospital, St Paul, Minnesota, USA. Altern Ther Health Med. 2008 Jul-Aug;14(4):24-32.

We conducted two studies to examine how interviewers' nonverbal behaviors affect children's perceptions and suggestibility. In the first study, 42 8- to 10-year-olds watched video clips showing an interviewer displaying combinations of supportive and nonsupportive nonverbal behaviors and were asked to rate the interviewer on six attributes (e.g., friendliness, strictness). Smiling received high ratings on the positive attributes (i.e., friendly, helpful, and sincere), and fidgeting received high ratings on the negative attributes (i.e., strict, bored, and stressed). For the second study, 86 8- to 10-year-olds participated in a learning activity about the vocal chords. One week later, they were interviewed individually about the activity by an interviewer adopting either the supportive (i.e., smiling) or nonsupportive (i.e., fidgeting) behavior. Children questioned by the nonsupportive interviewer were less accurate and more likely to falsely report having been touched than were those questioned by the supportive interviewer. Children questioned by the supportive interviewer were also more likely to say that they did not know an answer than were children questioned by the nonsupportive interviewer. Participants in both conditions gave more correct answers to questions about central, as opposed to peripheral, details of the activity. Implications of these findings for the appropriate interviewing of child witnesses are discussed.

J Exp Child Psychol. 2008 May;100(1):17-39. Epub 2008 Mar 7. Almerigogna J, Ost J, Akehurst L, Fluck M. Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, King Henry Building, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK. jehanne.almerigogna@port.ac.uk