Impact of the practice of touch-massage® by a nurse on the anxiety of patients with hematological disorders hospitalized in a sterile environment, a randomized, controlled study.

Context: In addition to curative care, supportive care is beneficial in managing the anxiety symptoms common in patients in sterile hematology unit. We hypothesize that personal massage can help the patient, particularly in this isolated setting where physical contact is extremely limited. The main objective of this study was to show that anxiety could be reduced after a touch-massage® performed by a nurse trained in this therapy.