Evaluating a complementary therapies clinic: outcomes and relationships.

BACKGROUND: There are few published examples of research examining the effect of massage, aromatherapy, and reflexology in clinic settings. In addition to measuring treatment outcomes, it may also be important to measure the quality of the relationship between the client and therapist and assess its contribution to outcomes.

AIMS: To evaluate perceived changes in client quality of life following treatment; to determine whether the relationship between the client and therapist predicts the outcome of treatment; to assess the usefulness of the measures used.

METHOD: The Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile (MYMOP2) and the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) were used to collect data from 66 clients and 13 therapists in a complementary therapies clinic in South Wales.

RESULTS: The MYMOP2 data showed significant improvements for client symptoms and activity but not for well-being. A low correlation was found between MYMOP2 profile scores and WAI scores suggesting that symptoms, activity and well-being were associated with a positive working alliance but this narrowly failed to achieve statistical significance.

CONCLUSION: Further research is necessary to confirm improvements in client quality of life and to establish causes. More research is needed to examine the client-therapist relationship and treatment outcome.