Becoming a Reflective Practitioner by Christopher Johns

Author:Christopher Johns
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781119193944
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Published: 2017-04-18T00:00:00+00:00

Writing this reflective narrative has heightened my awareness of the physical and therapeutic areas of touch. Chang (2001: 2) observes, ‘touching is an integral part of human life’. Within the nursing environment using touch is a normal, frequent method of administering care both physically and psychologically. Nurses are also allowed to enter the private zones of the individual through intimate touch due to societal agreement (Hickman and Holmes 1994). However, consideration must always be given to ethnic background, personal history and social connotations to ensure that touch is appropriate and authentic (Talton 1995). Turton (1989) reminds practitioners to be mindful of their use of touch and its therapeutic impact. Ochs (2001) suggests that we should always ask permission before touching patients or family. I find it more agreeable to continually assess the person's reactions (Talton 1995). The meaning of touch is personal and can only be translated by the recipient (Chang 2001).

Surprisingly, Estabrooks and Morse (1991) note, ‘One of the most neglected areas of touch in nursing research is the investigation of the touching behaviours of nurses.’ These authors suggest that nurses develop their own touching style through individual life experience and training. It is a comfort to know that touching can be a learned behaviour, especially when observing those who appear to have a comfortable natural ability of its proper use (Estabrooks and Morse 1991).

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