The process of end-of-life cancer patients making meaning in continuous purposeful touch intervention

Abstract

Background & Aims: One of the roles of the nurse who comes into contact with a patient at the end of life is to attend to a person who, although living, faces imminent death. Purposeful touch is an example of an active support method. This means that the nurse's act of touching is intended to help the patient become more comfortable, even if only slightly, and has the objective of mentally and physically healing the patient. To date, no studies concerning how patients experience touch have been reported. The aim of the present study was to clarify the process of end of-life cancer patients finding meaning in receiving toucImmunoglobulin A concentrationsh intervention. Methods: The study participants comprised 12 end of-life cancer patients who underwent touch intervention by nurses for 20 minutes, two or three times per week. A semi-structured interview was carried out following each intervention, and the results of the patients' responses were analyzed according to the modified grounded theory approach. Salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) concentration and a visual analogue scale (VAS) on comfort level were evaluated both before and after the series of planned interventions. Results: End-of-life cancer patients passively accepted touch intervention, and subsequently rated touch to have value. They were also given a boost of power to live in comfort, an emotion that occurs as a result of continuous touch intervention. Finally, they experienced a series of processes to surrender to touch. No significant differences were found in Ig A concentration in saliva taken before and after the series of planned interventions. The VAS on comfort level after the series of interventions was significantly higher than that before the interventions. Conclusions: Continuous purposeful touch intervention may positively affect patients' psychological comfort. Furthermore, patients' intentions to allow themselves to undergo touch intervention by nurses might positively affect their will to survive.