How the hemotherapy nursing team perceives touch during the transfusion procedure

Area of Science:

• Nursing Care
• Nonverbal Communication
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Understanding nonverbal communication in healthcare is crucial for effective patient care.
• The role of touch in the therapeutic relationship during medical procedures like blood transfusions requires further exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify nursing team perceptions of tactile nonverbal communication during blood transfusions.
• To describe how these perceptions influence the delivery of hemotherapy care.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, exploratory qualitative study utilizing Hall's proxemic theory.
• Data collected via participant observation and interviews with 25 nursing professionals.
• Thematic content analysis applied to data gathered between April and December 2022.

Main Results:

• Identified three key categories: meanings of touch, nonverbal body signals during transfusion care, and types of touch in practice.
• Explored the significance of touch within the hemotherapy nursing team's interactions.
• Detailed nonverbal cues and expressions utilized during nursing care in transfusion settings.

Conclusions:

• Touch is integral to the sensitive quality of nursing care during transfusions.
• The nursing team's use of touch positively influences the patient's affective dimension.
• Nonverbal communication, particularly touch, enhances the patient experience during hemotherapy.