Research on Effectiveness of Imagery Techniques
Discover what research has to say, on a practical level, of the value of guided imagery.
If you want to know the latest studies on the effectiveness of imagery techniques for conditions from asthma and arthritis to stroke and weight loss, you can't do better than check out the HealthJourneys' research archives. This is the wonderful resource developed by Belleruth Naparstek, one of America's foremost teachers, psychotherapists and lecturers on the phenomena of imagery and intuition. New research, completed or ongoing, is posted whenever they hear about a study they think you might like to know about. Then it's archived by topic(s).
The following is an example of their Hot Research page as of April 22, 2002. By the time you read this, it will have changed, but we wanted to give you a sample of how imagery has become a significant tool for healthcare.
Deborah Schwab's surgery report from Blue Shield of California is now public: on an average, with all other things being equal, people who listened to our guided imagery for surgery once or more before their surgery ended up filing claims that averaged $684 less per member, and filing $172 less in pharmaceutical claims per member.
Length of stay was less, too, but not as noteworthy as it has been shown to be in the past, when the allotted length of stay for hysterectomy was for far longer duration than just the current 1-2 days. Anxiety levels plummeted in imagery users, (the higher the anxiety, the steeper the drop) and patient satisfaction was extremely high (85%). Eighty-four percent would recommend it for a friend. And another 84% said it improved their opinion of Blue Shield as a whole. There was no gender difference in usage. (Similar to Traci Stein's survey with Cardiac ICU patients at Columbia Presbyterian).
Another interesting finding: unlike other times when Blue Shield introduced a new program, (prenatal education, asthma, cardiovascular and arthritis self-care) where member adoption averaged 25%, the guided imagery for surgery program enjoyed an 84% adoption rate. (I personally think this is a reflection of 2 things: the scariness of surgery as a motivating factor, and the care and skill of Tracy Bodtker RN, the nurse who runs this program, and her guided imagery team.)
The Blue Shield study concludes that "Guided imagery succeeds as a simple, elegant, high touch program that provides the opportunity to surprise, delight and genuinely help members during a critical time."
We'll post the citation as soon as this study is published. We got this info from the presentation Deborah made last week at the Managed Healthcare Conference in Baltimore. |
