Reiki as nursing care to people in mental suffering: an integrative review

Reiki como cuidado de enfermería a las personas en sufrimiento psíquico: revisión integrativa

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To analyze the scientific evidences of the use of Reiki as a care strategy to people in mental suffering.

Methods:

Integrative review in the databases PubMed, Scielo, Web of Science, and BVS. The study included articles in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, with no time restriction, which answer to the guiding question that was created in accordance to the PICo strategy: “What are the scientific evidences on the use of Reiki as a care strategy to people in mental suffering?” Gray literature was not considered.

Results:

Ten articles made up the final sample. The use of the Reiki therapy had benefits as a strategy to care for stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, pain relief, and quality of life improvements, whether the therapy was used isolated or to complement other treatments.

Conclusion:

The development of the competence of nurses and other health professionals in the use of Reiki can contribute to improve the quality standards of care.

Descriptors:
Mental Suffering; Holistic Therapy; Therapeutic Touch; Nursing Care; Review