Real-world outcomes of reiki as an integrative supportive care intervention at a comprehensive cancer center in the MENA region.

Abstract

e24081 Background: Integrative medicine interventions, including Reiki, are increasingly incorporated into oncology supportive care; however, real-world outcomes data from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remain limited. We evaluated patient-reported outcomes following Reiki sessions delivered as part of routine supportive care at a single comprehensive cancer center. Methods: We analyzed 105 oncology patients who received Reiki sessions. Pain and emotional well-being were assessed using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) before and after each session. Session utilization per patient was summarized descriptively. To account for repeated measures, linear mixed-effects models with patient-level random intercepts were used to evaluate post-session pain scores. Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses examined associations between demographic factors and post-session pain. Results: The median number of Reiki sessions per patient was 3 (IQR 1–7), with a mean of 5.7 ± 7.8 sessions (range 1–53), reflecting episodic and longitudinal use. The cohort was predominantly female (85.7%), with breast cancer as the most common diagnosis, spanning multiple disease stages and treatment phases. Across 594 sessions, post-session pain scores were consistently lower than pre-session assessments. In linear mixed-effects models accounting for repeated sessions within patients, pre-session pain was the strongest predictor of post-session pain (β = 0.28, p < 2×10⁻¹⁶), indicating partial but meaningful pain reduction following individual sessions. Cumulative number of Reiki sessions was not independently associated with post-session pain, suggesting session-specific rather than dose-dependent effects. After adjustment, male sex was associated with higher post-session pain scores compared with females (β = 1.44, p = 0.0028), while age at diagnosis was not significantly associated with pain outcomes. Treatment phase was generally not associated with post-session pain, although patients receiving hormonal therapy reported higher pain scores (β = 3.52, p = 0.039), consistent with chronic symptom burden (removed “in this setting”). Substantial between-patient variability was observed, supporting the use of mixed-effects modeling. In addition to quantitative pain outcomes, patients frequently reported positive emotional and physical responses following Reiki sessions, including peacefulness, comfort, grounding, and mental clarity. Conclusions: In this real-world single-center MENA cohort, Reiki sessions were associated with consistent improvements in patient-reported pain and well-being across a heterogeneous oncology population. These findings support the feasibility of integrating Reiki into routine supportive cancer care and underscore the need for prospective controlled studies to define its effectiveness.