Literature Review: A Literature Review of Reiki: An Effective Intervention for Pain in

Oncology Patients Compared to Placebo

NURS 363 – Nursing Research
Purpose of Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to acquaint the student with research literature and the process
of utilization of research to guide nursing practice/interventions.
Student Approach to Assignment
I approached this assignment by selecting a topic that genuinely interested me and I felt was
important for my nursing career. I collaborated with my group to finalize a selection of
interventions to compare. We used resources, especially the ODU online library to find credible
clinical trials and accurate information to present in our research paper.
Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio
I felt this assignment was important to include in the portfolio because it demonstrates my
understanding of the research process, evidence-based research and successfully providing clear
and accurate comparisons between two interventions. I chose Reiki as an intervention because
holistic approaches to healthcare are becoming more popular and I think it is important to
understand holistic interventions as much as possible.

• Nursing Practice
o Demonstrates an awareness of complementary modalities and their usefulness in
promoting health
This paper is based on a different intervention for pain in oncology patients;
comparing Reiki, a holistic approach that has proven beneficial to add as an
adjunct with traditional pain interventions. Clinical studies have proven that Reiki
is effective in treating pain in oncology patients, even more so than many other
popular forms of alternative therapies. With Reiki as an adjuvant to traditional
pain management methods, cancer patients may be able to experience improved
management of pain and increased quality of life.
• Research
o Applies research-based knowledge from nursing as the basis for culturally sensitive
practice.
Certain cultures try to avoid taking pain medications as much as possible because
in their culture they are thought to be harmful and addictive substances should be
avoided. Reiki is a holistic intervention to pain but also proven to help not only
physical conditions, but the distressed emotional states associated with pain as
well.
o Differentiates between descriptive nursing literature and published reports of nursing
research.
o During the process of this paper we were required to submit a Literature
Review Table of our paper before the final draft was written. In this outline,
we were required to submit different types of literature including descriptive
literature, meta-analysis, cross-sectional, systematic review, and exploratory
research to name a few. We were required to have a certain number of
particular types of literature and had to accurately provide what type of
literature they were. Throughout the final paper there are several examples of
each used.