A personal journey in understanding physical touch as a nursing intervention

Physical touch is a critical concept in the nursing profession and an essential component in patient healing. Literature sources reviewed in this article support the presence of both positive and negative patient responses to nurses' touch. Comprehensive steps to ensure positive responses to touch are proposed. This article reports a registered nurse's transitional journey through nursing school and related experiences and concludes with an advanced appreciation for physical touch as a nursing intervention. The article integrates research and personal experience to emphasize the importance of touch in the author's life and in nursing. Although there are many uses of the word touch, in this document, the term refers to physical touch.