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A one-day education in soft tissue massage: Experiences and opinions as evaluated by nursing staff in palliative care

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2008

Berit Seiger Cronfalk ,
Maria Friedrichsen ,
Anna Milberg  and
Peter Strang
Berit Seiger Cronfalk*
Affiliation:
Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden The Vårdal Institute, The Swedish Institute for Health Sciences, Lund, Sweden Research and Development Department, Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden
Maria Friedrichsen
Affiliation:
Research and Development Department, Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Social & Welfare Studies, Linköping University Linköping, Sweden Palliative Education and Research Center, The County of Östergötland, Sweden Campus Norrköping, Sweden
Anna Milberg
Affiliation:
Department of Social & Welfare Studies, Linköping University Linköping, Sweden Palliative Education and Research Center, The County of Östergötland, Sweden LAH/unit of Palliative Care, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden
Peter Strang
Affiliation:
Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Social & Welfare Studies, Linköping University Linköping, Sweden
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Berit Seiger Cronfalk, Research and Development Department, Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Mariebergsgatan 22,112 35 Stockholm, Sweden. E-mail: berit.cronfalk@stockholmssjukhem.se
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Abstract

Objective:

Increasing awareness of well-being aspects of physical touch has spurred the appreciation for soft tissue massage (STM) as part of palliative care. Educational programs are available but with no specific focus on utilization for this kind of care. The aim was to study the feasibility of a 1-day course in STM in clarifying nursing staff's experiences and opinions, but also to shed light on their motivation and ability to employ STM in the care of dying cancer patients.

Method:

In all, 135 nursing staff participated. The course consisted of theory and hands-on training (hand-foot-, back massage). Focus-groups with 30/135 randomly chosen participants were conducted 4 weeks after the intervention. This study engaged a qualitative approach using content analysis.

Results:

The overall opinion of the 1-day course was positive. The majority experienced the contents of the course to be adequate and sufficient for clinical care. They emphasized the pedagogical expertise as valuable for the learning process. The majority of nurses shared the opinion that their extended knowledge clarified their attitudes on STM as a complement in palliative care. Still, a few found it to be too basic and/or intimate. Three categories emerged during the analysis: experiences of and attitudes toward the education, experiences of implementing the skills in every-day care situations, and attitudes to the physical body in nursing care.

Significance of results:

The approach to learning and the pedagogical skills of the teacher proved to be of importance for how new knowledge was perceived among nurses. The findings may encourage hospital organizations to introduce short courses in STM as an alternative to more extensive education.

Keywords

Palliative careEducationNursing careMassage
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , June 2008 , pp. 141 - 148
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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