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Palliative Medicine
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The significance of touch in palliative care

Sally Sims

Macmillan Lecturer, Department of Nursing, King's College, London

Although the purposeful use of touch has significance for all patients, it has particular significance for patients with far advanced disease. When curative treatment is no longer appropriate, the emphasis of interventions shifts from cure to palliation and symptom control, and comfort measures assume greater significance. Touch is a powerful way of facilitating communication and enhancing psychological and physical comfort. This paper reviews some of the studies which point to the significance of touch in palliative care and suggests that systematic forms of touch, such as gentle massage, should be explored further for the potential benefits they may have for patients.

Key Words: emotional disturbances • massage • pain • palliative treatment • touch

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 2, No. 1, 58-61 (1988)
DOI: 10.1177/026921638800200109
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