Patients' attitudes to comforting touch in family practice.

OBJECTIVE To examine patients' attitudes to comforting touch in family practice.

DESIGN A survey was designed with statements and responses to proposed scenarios.

SETTING Twenty family practices throughout Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS Family practice patients; of 400 surveys distributed, 376 were completed (94% response rate).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patients responded to scenarios on a five-point Likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. Results were analyzed using SPSS for DOS.

RESULTS Most patients in this population believed that touch can be comforting (66.3%) and healing (57.9%). Women were more accepting of comforting touch than men in all scenarios. Acceptance of comforting touch declined for both sexes as touch became proximal and more intimate. Men and women were more accepting of comforting touch from female doctors. Acceptance of all comforting touch declined markedly if a physician was unfamiliar to a patient, regardless of the physician's sex.

CONCLUSION Most patients surveyed believed touch is comforting and healing and viewed distal touches (on the hand and shoulder) as comforting.