Professional Boundaries in Healthcare 204: Touch and the Doctor Patient Relationship

Course overview

*Explain how individual, cultural, and gender factors shape patient perception of and response to clinical touch. *Distinguish between high-contact and low-contact cultures and apply this awareness to culturally sensitive touch practices in the clinical setting. *Identify appropriate versus inappropriate qualities of clinical touch and recognize how provider intentions may differ from patient perceptions. *Describe the psychological and physiological significance of touch in the healthcare relationship, including its role in patient trust and therapeutic outcomes. *Apply consent-based, trauma-informed touch protocols that account for patient history, body language, and individual comfort levels.