Perceptions of Touch in People With Cancer

This study is a qualitative, phenomenological research design. The research question is the lived experience of adult oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy being touched and touching. The researcher will conduct minimally-structured interviews with a set of follow-up interviews to verify interpretations and ascertain additional participant reflections on the phenomenon of touch. The purpose of this study is to describe the sensation of touch in adult oncology patients who are actively undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The primary objective is to identify the essences of multiple meanings of touch to these patients. The importance of touch in physiological development, learning patterns, and stress reduction has been demonstrated in humans and animals through years of research (Field, 2000). Based on research which indicates touch therapies provide a significant amount of symptom relief and reduction in anxiety, a growing number of hospitals and clinics are integrating massage therapy into services provided to patients in order to ameliorate many symptoms of diagnosis and/or treatment-related discomfort. Examples are the integrative medicine programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and George Washington University Medical Center which include touch therapy modalities. Research focusing on the embodied experience of sensory phenomena such as touch is important to provide the basis for more effective care. No studies to date have focused on the self-reported experience of the cancer patient with regard to what touch means to these individuals, particularly those actively in treatment with intravenous chemotherapy. The embodied sensation of touch in these people is important to understand in order to provide more effective touch-based interventions and also to increase awareness of direct care staff, including nurses, of the profound and complex effect that all forms of touch have on those who are physically and psychically vulnerable.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Maximum age

89 Years

Inclusion Criteria:

* Adults, at least 18 years old, who have been diagnosed with cancer (any form) and are in active treatment.
* Treatment must include intravenous chemotherapy (either as an outpatient or an inpatient) with or without surgery and/or radiation.
* Each participant will be fluent in English, able to hear and speak, fully alert and oriented, able to verbalize both concrete and abstract ideas, and able to comprehend and sign consent for participation.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Anyone else