Nurse’s Use of Physical Touch in Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

This study investigated the physical touch between nurses and patients (hereafter referred to as “touching” of patients by nurses) in critical care situations, particularly characterizing this phenomenon in the intensive care unit (ICU). A qualitative, descriptive design, coupled with data collected from fieldwork and semi-structured interviews, were used in this endeavor. Data were analyzed using with Uwe Flick’s thematic coding; data were organized and analyzed in terms of the methods by (and circumstances under) which nurses touch patients while providing healthcare. Ten ICU nurses and 13 patients were recruited as participants, and seven types of touching were identified: 1. Non-invasive touching of the patient’s body; 2. touching to prepare for possible changes in the patient’s condition; 3. touching to sense the internal state of the patient’s body; 4. touching as a stimulus to check the patient’s state of arousal; 5. touching a patient to prevent any harm to them and provide peace of mind; 6. touching to assess a patient’s reaction and avoid discomfort; and 7. touching to augment verbal communication with non-verbal communication. These characteristics were shown to have certain commonalities. Among others, touching was always performed as a means of tactile, hand-based observation of patient’s situation, and was dynamic in nature, depending on the circumstances surrounding the patient-nurse interaction.