Physical touch is a basic need of all people, regardless of age or life situation. It can provide security, well-being and belonging. But negative perceived physical touch can generate emotions such as fear, vulnerability and perceived as violations. As a consequent of the #metoo movement in the fall of 2017, it’s a risk that physical contact and especially physical touch are avoided by professions where it’s central. For example, in the context of education, studies show that sports teachers in many countries have become more cautious and avoid having physical contact with students due not to being misinterpreted as negative touch (Fletcher, 2013; Öhman, 2016; Piper, Garratt & Taylor, 2013).
In healthcare, caregivers who use physical touch in their work with disabled and elderly people have also become insecure and worried that they may be misunderstood (Bergstrand, 2018). A review shows that healthcare professionals see physical touch as part of the work but want to be the initiator of the contact, not that it should be initiated by the patients (Kelly et al. 2018).
The use of physical touch in healthcare is also affected by the need to avoid contamination and widespread of infections agents, a question with extra relevance in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
There is currently a lack of knowledge about how physical touch is experienced and used. As a first step is to increase the knowledge and understanding of how physical touch is experienced and used in healthcare by mapping studies explored physical touch both in daily care but also from the perspective of nursing students. With increased knowledge, a basis for developing interventions/teaching modules can be generated.
2020.
Studieprotokoll publicerat på Zenodo.