Nurses’ ability of providing the interpersonal and comforting touch could be impaired by the contemporarily fast-paced, high-acuity and understaffed hospital-centered setting (Connor & Howett, 2009). Nursing is one of the few roles in contemporary society in which the physical contact and even of the intimate body is accepted (Green, 2013). The frequent touch nurses encounter in patient care, however, is not always the deliberated and intentioned one of enhancing care (Connor & Howett, 2009). A stressful environment hinders nurses from achieving a state of therapists’ inner balance to perform tactile touch at hospitals (Henricson et al., 2006). In the absence of a quiet and an independent environment, the positive outcomes of tactile touch are unlikely to achieve and may even cause nurses’ tiredness (Homayouni et al., 2012).
Environmental barriers that prevent nurses from conducting touch identified could not only weaken the effectiveness of touch therapies, but also constitute various risks associated with nurses’ well-being. Lorenc et al.(2010) used a self-administrated questionnaire, surveying 67 healing provider’s opinions on supplying healing therapies on 38 conventional cancer centers across the UK. Feedback on barriers of this integrated service include: the little financial reimbursement for healer’s time, the lack of credibility of healers from patients, the insufficient regulatory framework within the conventional care setting and insufficient training and supervision for self-refereed healing provision. Green (2013) points out that the risk associated with this physically intimate nurse-patient interaction is much more than nurses have realized; aside from issues relating to nurses’ bedside commitments such as pay, hou...
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...ffects of complementary therapies whose effects might be too subtle to trace by an RCT (Ernst et al. 2008, as cited in Smith ,2008). Gender difference in physical contact may has negative influence in therapy which warrant further attention.
Further research also needs to understand the empirical difference between physical touch and therapeutic touch.
Conclusion
“Touch and personal interactions with patients are the hallmarks of our nursing practice” (Green 2013,p.253).
Giving touch should not be prevented from care givers, while it does not mean care givers take giving touch for granted and give it to patients forcibly; being sensitive, observant and respectful should be emphasized when giving touch (Edvardsson et al., 2003).
Introducing personalized touch is less likely to succeed or long lasting without consent or commitment from various organizational levels.
though its massage may be uncomfortable it opens our eyes to social problems that we still can
She did not associate someone's ability or inability to speak with their current state of mental activity. I understand that her husband was having issues communicating which is probably why she felt so strongly about it, but infants do not speak because they do not know how to speak because they have not learned how to speak yet. An older adult at some point was capable of speaking so when they get to a point where they are unable to use language then there it is clearly linked to their mental activity. However, I do agree that touch is a well-known way to soothe someone. We soothe infants when they are sad by holding them. When an older adult has lost the ability to speak, they are vulnerable so if we carefully observe their body language rather than just give up on them and do nothing. If it seems appropriate a simple pat on the back or a hug may make this person easier to communicate with in another way.
Kirk, T. W. (2007). Beyond empathy: clinical intimacy in nursing practice. Nursing Philosophy, 8(4), 233-243. doi:10.1111/j.1466-769X.2007.00318.x
A care relationship is special and requires skill, trust and understanding. This essay will elaborate how the quality of that relationship affects the quality of the care given and the experiences felt in receiving care. These different relationships will depend on the type of care given, who the care is given by and what sort of previous existing relationship there was to begin with. For a good care relationship to work it needs to follow the 5 K101 principles of care practice which are 'support people in maximising their potential','support people in having a voice and being heard','respect people's beliefs and preferences','support people's rights to appropriate services' and 'respect people's privacy and right to confidentiality'.(K101,Unit 4,p.183). If all of these needs are met a far exceptional quality of relationship between the carer and care receiver will be achieved.
Green, CA (1998). Reflection of a therapeutic touch experience: case study 2. Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery, 4(1), 17-21.
Touch is as essential to a healthy and happy life as eating right, getting proper sleep, and exercising. With the world growing more technological, the need for healthy human contact is more important than ever. Massage and body therapies are an age old healing refuge for us in this fast-paced, stressed-out world. The practice of massage therapy is rapidly growing in the United States. It has so much to offer and is becoming more widely accepted by doctors and the general public. Massage is touching another person by such movements as rubbing, kneading, pressing, rolling, slapping, and tapping. This type of therapy provides circulation of the blood and lymph, relaxation of muscles, relief from pain, restoration of metabolic balance, and many other benefits both physical and mental. There is much historical evidence to indicate that massage is one of the earliest remedies for pain relief and for the restoration of a healthy body. It is said to be the most natural and instinctive means of relieving pain and discomfort. Massage has proven to be an effective method for treating many conditions for thousands of years and it will continue to be used for thousands of years to come. Massage therapy is a great treatment for the body and soul.
Corso, Vincent M. (2012). Oncology Nurse as Wounded Healer: Developing a Compassion Identity. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing 16(5), 448-450.
Nursing is not just a profession where a nurse uses the latest and the greatest of medical advancements to provide the best of care for his or her patients. The use of electronics and ever advancing technology seems to have pushed the “personal” aspect of nursing to the background. Nurses today have to preform a complex balancing act to incorporate both the science and the spirituality of nursing to provide the best care for their patients. Nurses are to care for the “inherent respect, worthy of honor, high regard” the dignity of our patients. (Parse, 2010, p. 257) Watson’s Theory of Human Caring emphasizes the need for nurses to create a healing environment by finding the “caring moment” and
Every person’s needs must be recognized, respected, and filled if he or she must attain wholeness. The environment must attuned to that wholeness for healing to occur. Healing must be total or holistic if health must be restored or maintained. And a nurse-patient relationship is the very foundation of nursing (Conway et al 2011; Johnson, 2011). The Theory recognizes a person’s needs above all. It sets up the conducive environment to healing. It addresses and works on the restoration and maintenance of total health rather than only specific parts or aspect of the patient’s body or personality. And these are possible only through a positive healing relationship between the patient and the nurse (Conway et al, Johnson).
Weerapong, Hume and Kolt (2005) define massage therapy as a physical manipulation of muscles and soft tissues of the body, with the aim of promoting well-being and good health. Some of the mechanical activities involved in massage therapy include exertion of rhythmical pressure, stroking, rolling and rubbing. Massage therapy promotes well-being and positive health by producing psychological, physical and functional outcomes to the afflicted clients. The procedure of massage therapy entails four distinct mechanisms namely; biochemical mechanisms, physiological mechanisms, neurological mechanisms, and psychophysiological mechanisms. All these procedures work together to bring about the effectivity of massage therapy (Fitzcharles, Ste-Marie and Pereira, 2013).
"Massage Therapy: An Introduction." National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. National Institutes of Health, 24 Mar 2011. Web. 14 Apr 2011. .
Therapeutic touch can be learned by anyone. Those who wish to become practitioners take special courses. The practitioner is taught to center himself, physically and psychologically, where he can find within himself an inner reference of stability. The pupil must learn to assess the patient by feeling hot, cold, tingling, congestion or pressure sensations in his hands when gliding through another person's energy fi...
...01, p. 1188) Asking the team to speculate on causes for the slow acceptance of Energy Psychology, the reasons given by these key players ranged from reliance on concepts that cannot be measured, such as “subtle energies” and “thought fields,” to the lack of empirical research, to uncertainty about the mechanisms of action, to the inherent paradigm clash between ancient healing systems and conventional psychological explanations for therapeutic change. A more fundamental credibility problem, however, was also frequently mentioned in those discussions. And that is cognitive dissonance. There is nothing in the training or background of most clinicians or researchers that prepares them to understand how tapping on the skin can help overcome severe psychological disorders, no less to account for the speed and power with which positive clinical results are being reported.
Moyer C., Rounds J., Hannum J. (2004). Psychological Bulletin. A meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy Research received March 24, 2009, from EBSCO database
Nursing behaviors that improve patient comfort are as simple as positioning and repositioning, knowing patients special comfort habits, and advocating for family presence (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). It is important to use a measurement tool to assess comfort and remember to reassess for a positive outcome or plan a new intervention. Comfort is associated with the pursuit of healthy behavior, increased patient satisfaction, and better cost-benefit ratios (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). Although Watson’s caring model is a broad philosophy that applies to nursing practice in general, nurses utilizing this theory would find Kolcaba’s middle-range comfort theory aligns well within the framework those