The meaning of caring touch for healthcare professionals in an intensive care unit : A qualitative interview study

• Background: The way health care professionals touch patients and relatives in the intensive care unit plays a significant role. A negative feeling can be caused by being touched in the wrong way, this is why a holistic approach with respect for the patient is important for the ability to make the patient and their relatives feel secure, avoiding unnecessary suffering.Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the meaning of caring touch that is given in the ICU from the health care professionals perspective.Method: Qualitative interview study with health care professionals in the intensive care unit, analysed using inductive content analysis, resulting in two themes and four main categories.Findings: Two themes emerged: Imperative touch and emotional touch and four main categories: touch as a natural tool, create a prerequisite for touch, empathetic touch and conversant touch.Conclusion: Caring touch can be used as a natural tool in the daily work in order to bring comfort and calm to the patient in the intensive care unit.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Anestesi och intensivvård (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Anesthesiology and Intensive Care (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Caring touch

Experience

Healthcare professionals

Intensive care unit

Interviews

Omvårdnad

Nursing

Vårdvetenskap

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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