Abstract
This study aims to identify 1) nurses' experiences of touch care, 2) touch care' s position in the clinical setting, and 3) the characteristics of touch care of nurses by comparing it with that of aroma-therapists. Participants were 13 nurses who work in varied clinical settings, and 4 aroma-therapists who were recruited for comparison of their experiences with those of the nurses. The data was collected by semi-structured interview and analyzed from the perspective of corporeality. As a result, touch care as the art of nursing was characterized by a multiplicity of meaning, immediacy in the situation, and interaction with corporeality. Nurses simultaneously grasp the clients' needs and touch their body. Through touch care, nurses perceive a subtle change in the clients' body. They have a firm belief in the effect of touch care, and are satisfied that their touch makes the client comfortable. In the clinical setting, however, nurses feel difficulty in recognizing the value of touch care and giving it priority in the art of nursing. Also the skill of touch care is difficult to share between nurses.
