An interventional study of Rhythmic Massage in Palliative Care, Health Services, Palliative Care and Massage Intervention, sponsored by Monash University Malaysia. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-29.
Sponsored by Monash University Malaysia · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
People receiving palliative and end-of-life care may experience pain, fatigue, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and other symptoms that affect their comfort and quality of life. While standard medical treatments are important, additional supportive approaches may help promote comfort and wellbeing.
Rhythmical Massage (RM) is a gentle, non-invasive touch-based approach involving rhythmic movements, light touch, warmth, and rest. However, there is limited evidence on its use in palliative care in Malaysia.
This research will evaluate RM using quantitative measures of symptom burden, pain intensity, sleep quality, and physiological responses among people receiving palliative and end-of-life care in a community hospice. RM will be provided alongside, and will not replace, usual medical and palliative care. The findings will provide locally relevant evidence on the potential benefits, safety, experiences, and practical considerations of using RM as a complementary supportive approach in Malaysian palliative care.
Monash University Malaysia is the lead sponsor of 14 studies on the registry; 6 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Other: Rhythmic Massage
Rhythmical Massage (RM) is a gentle, non-invasive, touch-based approach involving rhythmic movements, light pressure, warmth, and a period of rest following each session. In this study, participants will receive approximately 4-6 RM sessions over 2-3 weeks, administered by trained RM practitioners.
Change in Symptom Burden
Change in symptom burden measured using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS), which assesses the severity of symptoms experienced by people receiving palliative care.
Time frame: Baseline (before the first RM session) to the end of the intervention period (approximately 2-3 weeks).
Change in Pain Intensity
Change in pain intensity measured using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), with participants rating their pain intensity on a scale from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain).
Time frame: Before and immediately after each Rhythmical Massage (RM) session, across approximately 4-6 sessions over 2-3 weeks.
Change in Sleep Quality
Change in sleep quality measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which assesses sleep quality and sleep disturbances.
Time frame: Baseline to the end of the intervention period (approximately 2-3 weeks).
Change in Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Changes in heart rate variability, including high-frequency (HF) power and the standard deviation of normal-to-normal intervals (SDNN), measured to assess changes in autonomic cardiac activity associated with Rhythmical Massage (RM).
Time frame: Immediately before and after each RM session, across approximately 4-6 sessions over 2-3 weeks.
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No — Upon request via direct contact to researcher
Start is estimated for Feb 2027; primary completion for Aug 2028, 18 months later.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Oct 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Monash University Malaysia