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The use of massage therapy has received increased attention in the treatment of chronic pain. However, barriers can hinder its use in nursing care. This study is part of a larger research program aimed at investigating the impact of TM on the experiences of patients with chronic pain hospitalized in two units of an internal medicine rehabilitation ward.
Health care professionals HCPs were trained either to provide TM or to use of a massage-machine device according to their units. At the end of the trial, two focus groups were conducted with HCPs from each unit who took part in the training and agreed to discuss their experience: 10 caregivers from the TM group and 6 from the machine group. The focus group discussions were tape-recorded, transcribed and analyzed using thematic content analysis.
They described positive effects on patients, HCPs, and their relationships. Conceptual barriers such as ambivalence around the legitimacy of TM in nursing care were reported. TM was often described as a pleasure care that was considered a complementary approach and was overlooked despite its perceived benefits.
Despite the perceived benefits of TM reported by the HCPs, ambivalence arose around the legitimacy of this intervention. The high prevalence of chronic pain calls for clinicians and finding appropriate treatment to improve life of patients. To this end, the use of massage therapy has increased in chronic pain treatment [ 1 , 4 ].
