Abstract
Radiotherapy for cancer is an effective treatment but requires precise delivery. Patients are required to remain still in the same position during procedure which may be uncomfortable. This combined with high anxiety experienced by patients, and feelings of isolation, have indicated a need for comfort interventions. Care conveyed through empathetic touch promotes comfort, individual attention and presence and provides both psychological and physical comfort at the same time. Evidence in nursing and care literature showed that empathetic touch interventions have a significant role in promoting comfort, facilitating communication between care recipients and caregivers. However, the application of empathetic touch interventions may be challenging to administer due to the safety concern in the radiotherapy environment. The emergence of haptic technologies that enable the communication of touch remotely may have a potential to fill this gap. We take inspiration from both clinical empathetic touch in radiotherapy practice, as well as affective haptic technologies to envision the opportunities for haptic technologies as a complimentary comfort intervention to supplement human empathetic touch during radiotherapy.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
