Non-pharmacological interventions feasible in the nursing scope of practice for pain relief in palliative care patients: a systematic review.
Strong EvidenceIn Plain Language
Researchers reviewed all available high-quality studies on non-drug pain relief methods that nurses can use for palliative care patients. They found that several hands-on therapies, including massage and reflexology, show promise for helping reduce pain in patients at the end of life.
Key Findings: what this systematic review found
- ✓Reflexology is a feasible non-pharmacological intervention that nurses can implement within their scope of practice for palliative care patients.
- ✓Massage and reflexology demonstrate promise as effective methods for reducing pain in end-of-life patients.
- ✓Multiple high-quality studies support the use of hands-on therapeutic techniques as alternatives or complements to pharmacological pain management in palliative care.
What This Means for You
If you're in palliative care, reflexology is supported by systematic review evidence as a reasonable complementary option for pain relief, though it works best alongside standard medical care.
What This Means for Practitioners
This systematic review validates reflexology as a feasible nursing-scope intervention for palliative pain management, supporting its integration into multidisciplinary care protocols.
Common questions about this study
What does this study mean in practice?
If you're in palliative care, reflexology is supported by systematic review evidence as a reasonable complementary option for pain relief, though it works best alongside standard medical care.
What did this study find?
Reflexology is a feasible non-pharmacological intervention that nurses can implement within their scope of practice for palliative care patients. Massage and reflexology demonstrate promise as effective methods for reducing pain in end-of-life patients. Multiple high-quality studies support the use of hands-on therapeutic techniques as alternatives or complements to pharmacological pain management in palliative care.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a systematic review and we rate its evidence strong. It was published in Palliative care and social practice, a Q2 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.
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