Health-care Workers, Massage Therapy, Psychological Distress, Quality of Life
Conditions
Brief summary
The overall aim of this pilot study is to investigate the effect, feasibility and experiences of regular massage over 12 months on the mental and physical health of healthcare professionals, as well as the frequency of layoffs, sick leave and reported patient safety risk cases, as well as health economics
Detailed description
A pilot and feasibility study with pre-post design. 50 health care professionals from the Medical Clinic, Vrinnevi Hospital in Norrköping are included. The participants perform 10 30 minute sessions of classic Swedish massage during 12 months by a certified masseur. Mental and physical health data is collected using questionnaires, blood and body weight. Data on layoffs, sick leave and patient safety risks are taken from the hospital's data register. Data regarding the participants' experience of receiving massages is collected during interviews.
Interventions
OTHERMassage
10 times of 30 minutes Swedish classical Massage will be given monthly during one year. The massage will be give by a cerified masseur
Sponsors
University Hospital, Linkoeping
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
50 health care professionals will receive massage monthly during 12 months. Massage will not be given during summer holiday. Thus, 30 minutes of massage will be given 10 times.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Working at least for 50 % of fulltime Main task working with patient care in the hospital ward
Exclusion criteria
\-
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Symptoms of Stress | Baseline (start of massage) and 12 months (end of massage) | The Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) is a 10-item self-report questionnaire measuring perceived stress during the past month. Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress (i.e., worse outcome). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Symptoms of Anxiety | Baseline (start of massage and 12 months (end of massage). | The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is a 7-item self-report questionnaire assessing anxiety symptoms during the past two weeks. Each item is rated from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), giving a total score from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety severity (worse outcome). |
| Sleeping Problems | ISI mean score from baseline (start of massage) to12 months (end of massage). | The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) is a 7-item self-report questionnaire assessing the nature, severity, and impact of insomnia during the past two weeks. Scores range from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating more severe insomnia. |
| Symptoms of Depression | PHQ-9 mean score from baseline (start of massage) to 12 months (end of massage). | The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a 9-item self-report questionnaire assessing depressive symptoms during the past two weeks. Scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater depression severity. |
| Health Related Quality of Life | RAND-36 halth transition from baseline (start of massage) to 12 months (end of massage). | The RAND-36 Health Transition item asks respondents to rate their health compared with one year ago. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale. Higher scores indicate better perceived change (better outcome). |
Countries
Sweden
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Massage Registered and assistant nurses working on a hospital ward received classic Swedish massage once per month for 12 months (about 10-12 sessions). Each 30-minute session used standard Swedish massage techniques-kneading, gliding, and tapping-focused on the back, shoulders, and neck to relieve work-related tension. Sessions were delivered by licensed therapists in a calm setting outside work hours, with the same therapist assigned to each participant. The study evaluated feasibility, including recruitment, adherence, satisfaction, and preliminary within-group effects on stress, mental health, sleep, pain, physical activity, work ability, and quality of life. | 25 |
| Total | 25 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Massage | — |
|---|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 40 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 11 | — |
| Number of smokers, ex-smokers and never smoked Ex-smoker | 11 Number of participants | — |
| Number of smokers, ex-smokers and never smoked Never smoked | 10 Number of participants | — |
| Number of smokers, ex-smokers and never smoked Smokers | 4 Number of participants | — |
| Race and Ethnicity Not Collected | — | — Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 25 Participants | — |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 0 Participants | — |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 25 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 25 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 25 |
Outcome results
Primary
Symptoms of Stress
The Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10) is a 10-item self-report questionnaire measuring perceived stress during the past month. Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress (i.e., worse outcome).
Time frame: Baseline (start of massage) and 12 months (end of massage)
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage | Symptoms of Stress | Basline | 17.4 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 4.9 |
| Massage | Symptoms of Stress | 12 months | 13.9 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 5.7 |
Comparison: Single-arm feasibility design; exploratory within-group analysis.p-value: 0.02195% CI: [-6.236, -0.559]Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary
Health Related Quality of Life
The RAND-36 Health Transition item asks respondents to rate their health compared with one year ago. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale. Higher scores indicate better perceived change (better outcome).
Time frame: RAND-36 halth transition from baseline (start of massage) to 12 months (end of massage).
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage | Health Related Quality of Life | Baseline | 52 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 23.5 |
| Massage | Health Related Quality of Life | 12 months | 76.3 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 26.9 |
Comparison: Single-arm feasibility design; exploratory within-group analysis.p-value: 0.00495% CI: [8.66, 41.092]Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary
Sleeping Problems
The Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) is a 7-item self-report questionnaire assessing the nature, severity, and impact of insomnia during the past two weeks. Scores range from 0 to 28, with higher scores indicating more severe insomnia.
Time frame: ISI mean score from baseline (start of massage) to12 months (end of massage).
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage | Sleeping Problems | Baseline | 11.8 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 4.6 |
| Massage | Sleeping Problems | 12 months | 10.5 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 6.6 |
Comparison: Single-arm feasibility design; exploratory within-group analysis.p-value: 0.2895% CI: [-4.174, 1.268]Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary
Symptoms of Anxiety
The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) is a 7-item self-report questionnaire assessing anxiety symptoms during the past two weeks. Each item is rated from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day), giving a total score from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate greater anxiety severity (worse outcome).
Time frame: Baseline (start of massage and 12 months (end of massage).
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage | Symptoms of Anxiety | Baseline | 6.8 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 4.3 |
| Massage | Symptoms of Anxiety | 12 months | 5.5 score on a scale | Standard Deviation 4.8 |
Comparison: Single-arm feasibility design; exploratory within-group analysis.p-value: 0.31895% CI: [-4.013, 1.357]Mixed Models Analysis
Secondary
Symptoms of Depression
The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is a 9-item self-report questionnaire assessing depressive symptoms during the past two weeks. Scores range from 0 to 27, with higher scores indicating greater depression severity.
Time frame: PHQ-9 mean score from baseline (start of massage) to 12 months (end of massage).
| Arm | Measure | Group | Value (MEAN) | Dispersion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massage | Symptoms of Depression | Baseline | 7.2 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 4.1 |
| Massage | Symptoms of Depression | 12-months | 4.9 units on a scale | Standard Deviation 3.9 |
Comparison: Single-arm feasibility design; exploratory within-group analysis.p-value: 0.02395% CI: [-3.917, -0.326]Mixed Models Analysis