Therapeutic Touch for Acute Pain and Comfort After Cesarean: A Randomized Trial.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of therapeutic touch (TT) on acute pain and comfort levels in women after cesarean delivery.

DESIGN

A single-center, randomized controlled trial with a pre-test and post-test design.

METHODS

The study was conducted in the obstetrics department of a public hospital in Türkiye between September and November 2023. Ninety women who underwent cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 45) and control (n = 45) groups. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and the Postpartum Comfort Questionnaire (PPCQ). The intervention group received two TT sessions at the 10th and 40th postoperative hours, while the control group received standard care. Data were analyzed using independent and paired samples t-tests.

RESULTS

The TT group exhibited significantly lower VAS scores compared to the control group (p < .001). Significant improvements were observed in the physical and psychospiritual subdimensions of the PPCQ in the intervention group (p < .001). No significant change was found in the sociocultural subdimension within the control group.

CONCLUSION

Therapeutic touch appears to be a promising complementary intervention for reducing acute postcesarean pain and enhancing comfort in women following cesarean delivery.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Therapeutic touch may be integrated into postpartum nursing and midwifery care to support pain management and improve maternal comfort. Further multicenter studies with longer follow-up and placebo controls are recommended to strengthen the evidence base.