SynthesisPalliative medicine2026
Reiki and Therapeutic Touch for symptom burden and quality of life in palliative settings: A systematic review.
Synthesis in Palliative medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundReiki and Therapeutic Touch are complementary therapies sometimes used in palliative and end-of-life care.
aimTo examine the available evidence regarding the effects of Reiki and Therapeutic Touch, compared to usual care, in palliative and end-of-life care.
designSystematic review registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251059364; May 23, 2025). DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched for English-language studies published between 2013 and 2024. Eligible studies included patients receiving palliative care who underwent Reiki and/or Therapeutic Touch compared with usual care. Any primary study design was eligible. Risk of bias was assessed and findings synthesized narratively.
resultsNine studies involving 415 participants were included: five mixed-methods studies, three randomized controlled trials, and one qualitative cross-sectional study conducted in North America (
conclusionsEvidence regarding Reiki and Therapeutic Touch in palliative and end-of-life care remains limited and heterogeneous. The very low certainty of evidence precludes firm conclusions regarding their effectiveness. Further well-designed studies are needed to clarify their potential role in palliative care.
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