How Should I touch You?

How Should I touch You?

Grand Canyon University: NRS 433V
September 18, 2011, 2011

‘How Should I Touch You?’ Would you prefer a nurse of the same sex or one of opposite sex than you to be touching you? In this case, the research is being done on intimate touches. As nurses, we spend a lot of time doing one on one with our patients; we touch patients when performing assessments, when we want to provide comfort or showing care. The aim of this research was to find out whether or not patients had more concerns from male or female nurses when it comes to intimate touches, the study wanted to see the attitudes or response of the ordinary person when it comes to touching. Finally, because there have not been much research done on the subject, this research wanted to provide guidance on how intimate touches should be provided by nurses.
Quantitative or Qualitative This qualitative research was performed in a small group of 24 ordinary individuals who had no relations with the healthcare field. Using semi structured interviews; these individuals were separated into small focus groups, these groups were not designed to obtain consensus but rather to get a variety of experiences, views and attitudes. In addition, the participants who were from urban regions of the Western United States, had to have the ability to consent and speak in English. The researchers use the same questionnaire for each group, they also ask any follow-up questions to allow for more detailed responses. Following the interviews, the researchers separated themselves in order to review information on their own; afterward, the researchers held a discussion session to compare responses.
Communication and Respect The participants in this particular research were predominantly Caucasians with an age ranged of 19 to 76 years old, some of them had even receive intimate touches from nurses in the past. At the end of the research period once all the data was gathered, researchers found the following topics to be the major concerns for all the participants:
Communicate with me. Communication was the most important for these participants; in fact, they insist that the nurse must communicate to them what was going to be done before it was done. They wanted the nurse to act in a professional manner and showed them respect; they expected to be addressed by last names unless they give permission to do otherwise; while providing care, the participant preferred to be addressed instead of others in the room. Furthermore, they expected the nurse’s appearance to neat, have good hygiene, and above all not smell like they have been smoking.
Give me choices.
In all walks of life, people don’t like the feeling of being powerless. Along with communication, the participants wanted the choice of whether or not they could be touched in an intimate way. They wanted to be involved, if possible they wanted to perform task themselves instead of someone else; while capable, they wanted to make the decision and have more control.
Ask me about gender. Participant’s opinion varied when it came to gender. Some participants depending on age didn’t care one way or another who was doing the touching; as long as they were told and given the choice. Others mentioned their concern for the nurse’s sexual orientation, while others yet prefer a same-gender chaperone in the room.
Touch me professionally, not too fast and not to slow. The nurse providing the touches needed to show professionalism and confidence in the eyes of the participant. The participants wanted eye contact, gloved hands and clean equipment, when being touched they prefer the touches to be not so fast and not too slow that it gives the appearance of wrong doing. They expect the nurse to ask for feedback, provide and maintain their privacy.
Conclusion
This research though it was small, was design to give nurses and medical establishments relevant information regarding patient’s feelings and ideas about intimate touches. Base on the participant’s answer, nurses need to be mindful when deciding how and where to touch patients, they must act professional, most of all, nurses need to be mindful of their verbal and non-verbal cues. I believe these types of research are necessary to ensure that nurses have a greater understanding of how they are impacting others in their care. Furthermore, these researches will help in providing education and set guidelines for all nursing staff.

References
American Nurses Association. (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring, MD.
William A. A study of practicing nurses’ perceptions and experiences of intimacy within the nurse-patient relationship. (2001J Adv Nurs 2001; 35(2):188-96.
Routasalo P. Physical touch in nursing studies: a literature review (1999). J Adv Nurs; 30(4): 843-50.