Peer Review

Evidence-Based Massage Therapy: A Guide for Clinical Practice

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Nov 12, 2022 by Health Sciences

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This clinical practice handbook will prove essential to massage therapists, physical therapists, chiropractors, medical doctors, psychologists and other health professionals who care for people with musculoskeletal pain. It is a living document and will be continuously updated as new research becomes available.

Type of Material:

Open (Access) Textbook

Recommended Uses:

This material can be used by current health care professionals to stay updated with the most current evidence-based practice, and avoid narcotics. This would be for massage therapists, physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physical therapists and occupational therapists.

This material can also be used for all types of health care students to access up-to-date information and the current best evidence for massage therapy.

Technical Requirements:

Internet access
Computer with a web browser

Identify Major Learning Goals:

After reading this book, the student will be able to:

Identify and describe key postulates and applications of an evidence-based framework.
Provide an overview of current research findings and their practical implications for massage therapists.
Foster a culture of evidence-based practice by incorporating new scientific findings and methods into clinical practice.

Target Student Population:

College General Ed
College Lower Division
Prelicensure and post licensure health care students

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

No prerequisite knowledge is needed.
Computer skills are necessary to access the material.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Concepts are valid and based on models.
Chapters are short and appropriate.
Uses the CRAAP model
Is continually evaluated for outdated sources and updated
Uses systematic reviews for evidence.
To decrease pain and increase mobilization, and to promote relaxation by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system.
The book is well organized.
There are appropriate references at the end of each chapter and key take-aways summarizing the evidence.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The learning goals are easily identified.
Students can use massage therapy as an adjunct in decreasing pain.
The book goes over the hierarchy of evidence, and is based on systematic reviews of evidence.
The book is easy to read and follow.
Text and images are used.

Concerns:

Although there are overall goals, there are no goals listed in each chapter. A preview of what the chapter includes would be helpful.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The chapters are very short and easy to read.
The site is simply accessing the book in a variety of formats.
The site is in good working order.
It does not require plug-ins or links, and is self-contained.
Terms are defined.
The book is well organized.
This open access textbook is easy to navigate online. The layout is clear and no issues accessing each chapter and associated material.

Other Issues and Comments:: Since this textbook displays the current evidence-based practice, updates would need to occur regularly.
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