Complementary Health Care: The use of Therapeutic Touch in Nursing care

Abstract

Therapeutic Touch is an intentional care aimed at achieving better health outcome. It is affirmed that therapeutic touch makes patient feel belonged and valued, removes tension, and relaxes patient. This paper presentation was written to discuss the use of therapeutic touch in complementary Healthcare practise. Specifically, the aim was to understand the concept of complementary Healthcare and Therapeutic Touch (TT) and to explore how it improves patient wellbeing, It was affirmed that complementary Healthcare are group of medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are part of conventional medicine aimed at improving the health and quality of life as well as increased longevity by using natural approaches and different methods of alternative medicine based on clinical and research experiences. Therapeutic touch is a non-invasive intervention for improving the health status in patients. This paper reveals the benefits of therapeutic touch in Nursing Practice which includes Pain Management, Stress Reduction, Anxiety and Depression, Improve Healing, Creating a Healing Environment and Practitioner Self-Care. Based on the relevance of therapeutic touch on patients’ wellbeing, it is recommended that nurses implore this unique therapy in the care of patient to achieve recovery as early as possible and continuing education for nurses in both public and private health facilities should include complementary healthcare and therapeutic touch thereby equipping nurses with pool of knowledge on the use of complementary therapies to improve patient quality care.