Caring touch as communication in intensive care nursing: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT

Purpose

This article describes intensive care nurses` experiences of using communicative caring touch as stroking the patient`s cheek or holding his hand. Our research question: “What do intensive care nurses communicate through caring touch?”

Methods

In this qualitative hermeneutically based study data from two intensive care units at Norwegian hospitals are analysed. Eight specialist nurses shared experiences through individual, semi-structured interviews.

Results

The main theme, Communicating safety and presence has four sub-themes: Amplified presence, Communicating security, trust and care, Creating and confirming relationships and Communicating openness to a deeper conversation. Communicative caring touch is offered from the nurse due to the patient`s needs. Caring touch communicates person-centred care, invites to relationship while respecting the patient’s dignity as a fellow human being. Caring touch conveys a human initiative in the highly technology environment.

Conclusion

Caring touch is the silent way to communicate care, hope, strength and humanity to critical sick patients. This article provides evidence for a common, but poorly described phenomenon in intensive care nursing.

KEYWORDS:

• Intensive care nursing
• caring science
• communication
• patient-centred
• caring touch

What is known about the topic

• Caring touch is a daily used nursing action, but little research has been done so far

• Caring touch is an important part of good intensive care nursing

• Communication is important for intensive care nurses to understand patients

What this paper adds

• With caring touch, intensive care nurses communicate: Amplified presence. Security, trust and care. Creation and confirmation of relationships with patients and an openness to a deeper conversation.

• Caring touch is silent and bodily communication within patient-centred care

• Caring touch communicates a sincere wish for the patient to recover.

• Caring touch is a human initiative to humanize the highly technically equipped intensive care unit.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participants for their willingness to share their experiences.

Author contributions

The first author performed the interviews and the first analysis, while the second author contributed with suggestions for interpretations and quality control of the analysis. Both authors contributed to this paper`s draft and contributed to the different parts of the study. Both authors agreed on the final version of the article.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics statement

The authors confirm that informed consent was obtained from the participants, and that ethical clearance was obtained.

Additional information

Funding

The study has not received any funding.

Notes on contributors

Lise Sandnes

Lise Sandnes holds a Master of Clinical Nursing in intensive care nursing at Nord University from 2016. She worked as an intensive care nurse at Nordlandssykehuset hospital in Bodø, Norway in 16 years in the timespan 2000-2018. From 2013 she worked part time as a lecturer in Nursing at Nord University, full time from 2018. From 2019 she has an occupation as a lecturer with class- and topics- responsibility at Master in Intensive care Nursing at Nord University. This is her second scientific publication, although she has published two professional article and three chronicles the last years.

Lisbeth Uhrenfeldt

Lisbeth Uhrenfeldt holds a Ph.d. in nursing science from Aarhus University in Denmark and has for 8 years been professor in clinical nursing in Nord university in Norway. She now is professor in clinical nursing at Southern Danish University and Kolding University Hospital. She is an expert qualitative researcher with more than 90 peer reviewed publications besides book chapters. Her research mainly focus on patients and significant others experiences during different kind of transitions and healthcare professionals competence development. She is engaged in and Marie Sklodowska Curie funded study INNOVATEDIGNITY in nine universities at five European countries employing fifteen early stage researchers.