Affectional touch in critical care nursing: a descriptive study.
The purpose of this study was to describe selected qualitative and quantitative factors present in nursing situations involving affectional touch. Natural field observation of 30 nurse-patient dyads in three hospital critical care units yielded frequency data in four categories: form of affectional touch, Weiss' qualitative factors, accompaniments, and stimulus. Frequencies of affectional touch and of proximity without touch were also obtained. Modal instances of affectional touch in a 1-hour period were 2, with a range of 0 to 17. Form of affectional touch most frequently used was sustained stationary, with stroking least frequent. The majority of instances of affectional touch were of short duration and low intensity, with visible reaction indicating comfort in approximately two thirds of the instances. Almost three fourths of the instances were accompanied by visual regard and two thirds by vocalization. Patient stimulus before affectional touch was indirect in 52% of the instances and unidentified in another 32%. This study provides clear evidence that, although the use of touch as a nursing comfort measure is widely advocated, affectional touch is infrequent. These results provide information useful to the further development of prescriptive theory for affectional touch in nursing practice situations.
Schoenhofer
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Division of Nursing, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton 33431.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D014110:Touch