[Touch: its actual use by nurses]

This study aims to verify the use of the touch by nurses according to LE MAY'S proposal (1986), as well as to verify when and why he uses it, according to his own perception. Thirty-seven nurses (20 teachers, 16 assistants and 01 who was attending a specialization course) were interviewed in September 1995 in the capital and other cities of the State of São Paulo, showing that the majority of the collected samples mentioned touch in an expressive manner, referring to using it mainly to demonstrate empathies and security on moments where patient's emotion were perceived.