The Urgency of Stress Reduction Amongst Medical Students: Is Therapeutic Touch the Answer? A Literature Review on Therapeutic Touch in Students and Healthcare Personnel

Medical students face disproportionately high levels of stress, which can affect both their well-being and patient care. While mindfulness has shown mixed results, therapeutic touch and Reiki have demonstrated potential in reducing anxiety and depression. This review searched PubMed, Scopus, PsychInfo, Cochrane Library, and gray literature for studies on therapeutic touch in students and healthcare workers. Of 363 articles, 8 met inclusion criteria. Five of seven eligible studies (71.4%) reported statistically significant stress reduction. These findings suggest that therapeutic touch may benefit medical students, warranting further research into its potential as a stress reduction intervention.