Effectiveness of 10-minute Chair Massage Versus 10-minute Break to Reduce Stress and Improve Well-being

The Effectiveness of a 10-minute Chair Massage Versus 10-minute Break to Reduce Psychological and Physical Stress in Healthcare Workers

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of 10-minute chair massage therapy in comparison to a scheduled 10-minute break to evaluate the impact on perceived quality of life, heart rate, blood pressure, and pain scale in healthcare workers.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Quality of Life; Fatigue; Stress, Psychological
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Mechanical Chair Massage

Detailed Description

The primary purpose of this study is to provide cost-effective interventions for nursing personnel aimed at reducing fatigue and stress within their work environment while improving their overall quality of life. Studies have demonstrated that stress management resources and overall engagement of staff lead to quality outcomes for both staff and patients. There is limited research that examines interventions that can reduce stress perception in nursing. This study will examine the physical and psychological impact of 10-minute massage therapy in comparison to a 10-minute scheduled break weekly over a period of 5 weeks. If the outcomes of the study indicate that either massage therapy or scheduled breaks are an effective intervention for management of stressful situations and improving quality of life, the overall goal would be to create relaxation rooms on more nursing units that allow staff to engage in massage therapy or scheduled rest sessions to reduce stressful work situations.

Studies have indicated that healthcare workers experience high levels of work-related stress that include individual, social, occupational and environmental factors. Unrelieved or mismanaged stressors contribute to a variety of health-related consequences including disturbances in the digestive system, headaches, sleep disturbances, hypertension, fatigue and psychological issues, including anxiety. Massage therapy and scheduled breaks have been identified as potential interventions to mitigate or reduce stress. The use of mechanical massage has been shown to mimic the effects of traditional physical massage in terms of reducing stress and anxiety of the end-users. Mechanical massages have an advantage over physical massages since they are more cost-effective, can be used when convenient, and within a controlled environment. The literature supports that massage therapy can have an impact on reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and pain, while enhancing an individual's immune function, relaxation, and overall well-being. Studies have also indicated that nurses often lack opportunities to take breaks during their scheduled shifts. In many instances, staff sacrifice their breaks in order to fulfill patient-care duties. This study will compare both massage therapy and scheduled breaks to examine the overall impact on healthcare workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased workplace stressors for healthcare workers; however, there is limited evidence to support successful interventions to manage these stressors.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 36
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Danville, Pennsylvania, United States, 17822
      • Geisinger

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 84 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Health care professional assigned work duties on designed unit
• Men and women able age 18-84 able to give informed consent
• Able to speak and understand English

Exclusion Criteria:

• Individuals that decline to participate in the study
• Individuals currently on work restrictions
• Recent head, neck, shoulder or back surgeries

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: 10 Minute Chair Massage; Chair massage for 10 minutes once a week for 5 weeks	Device: Mechanical Chair Massage; Healthcare staff will be placed into either massage or break intervention; Other Names: Schedule Break
Experimental: 10 Minute Scheduled Break; Scheduled 10-minute break once a week for 5 weeks	Device: Mechanical Chair Massage; Healthcare staff will be placed into either massage or break intervention; Other Names: Schedule Break

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Professional Quality of Life Scores	The change in professional quality of life scores will be compared pre trial and post at completion of 5 weeks	5 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Heart Rate of 2-arms	Participants will record heart rate pre and post intervention for each session and these measures will be examined for decrease in heartrate and compared amongst both arms	5 weeks
Change in Blood Pressure of 2-arms	Participants will record blood pressure pre and post intervention for each session and these measures will be examined for decrease in blood pressure and compared amongst both arms	5 weeks
Change in Self-reported level of pain on scale of 0-10	Participants will record self-reported pain level pre and post intervention for each session and these measures will be examined for decrease in level of pain and compared amongst both arms. Participants will use the Geisinger Pain Scale, 0 indicates no pain, 10 would indicate severe pain	5 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Geisinger Clinic
• Collaborators: Tami Underhill

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 30, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 31, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): February 28, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 23, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): March 8, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 28, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 27, 2023
• Last Verified: March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Stress, Psychological
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2021-0186

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No