The effects of guided imagery and hand massage on wellbeing and pain in palliative care: Evaluation of a pilot study

This study aims to measure the effect of guided imagery and hand massage on self-rated wellbeing and pain for palliative care patients. This study adopted a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test post-test design. The sample consisted of n = 20 adult palliative care patients who received one session of guided imagery and hand massage. Self-reported levels of wellbeing and pain were measured on a scale of 0–10 before and after the intervention. Results were analyzed using a one-tailed sign test in SPSS Software. The intervention elicited a statistically significant improvement in self-reported levels of wellbeing (p = .029) and pain (p = .001). Feedback from participants showed the intervention was helpful and relaxing. The intervention had an immediate positive effect on wellbeing and pain among palliative care patients. Considering the promising results of this pilot study, guided imagery and hand massage should be studied further in the palliative care setting.