clinical focus
‘We must not
lose touch’
Technology is responsible for
many advances in medicine
but it cannot be allowed to
make us forget the value of
human physical contact.
Sue Dean interviewed by Dallas Bastian
M @suedeandean
N
urses have seen the value of touch and must keep it in
mind as healthcare technology advances.
This is one of the key messages Australian academics
made in a recent editorial in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
They wrote that the increasing use of a variety of technological
supports for nursing work may be at the expense of offering a
comforting touch to patients.
While the authors say they are proponents of the use of
technology, they add that nurses must pay careful attention to
how they best integrate technology into practice to avoid risking
the interpersonal relationship at the heart of their work.
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