Bio-Touch Therapy: Ease of Use in Clinical Patient Care and in Patient/Family Teaching

Undergraduate nursing students must achieve ways to effectively manage stress and pain in their clinical care and with patients and families, thus allowing the improvement of clinical outcomes.  Complementary therapies, when utilized in conjunction with other medical and nursing strategies, provide ways to improve patient care while working with the medical/nursing regimen.  Bio-touch is a butterfly light touch applied to specific points on the human body.  Previous research has suggested that Bio-Touch decreases individual stress, pain, restlessness, improvement in vital signs, increase in immune response and feeling cared for.  This therapy is easy to do and can be taught to anyone—a health care professional is not required—and there are no adverse side effects. In addition, it can be easily taught not only to students, but to faculty, patients, families and lay persons.

Participants will have a hands-on Bio-Touch experience that will allow them to leave the symposium with the basic tools to perform Bio-Touch in a non-invasive setting.  Participants can indicate if they achieved any response relative to pain, stress and well-being.  The effects of an inexpensive stress management tool for patients/families is invaluable to managing health and to improving quality of life and balance for all.  This research can be easily replicated and utilized in any setting. In addition, the senior nursing research students achieved an interest in and respect for not only the complementary therapy but for research and have committed to presenting this research and utlizing this strategy in their clinical practice.