[Identification of the types of touching during nursing care in an outpatient service].

This study was realized in the outpatient ward of bone marrow transplantation. The sample consisted of 17 adult patients and six workers. The data was collected from October to December, 1996, being obtained through filming, decodification of the films, a questionnaire and interview with the workers. The purposes were to identify in what situations the different types occurred, and which regions of the body were involved. It was found that most of the touching was of the instrumental type. The regions touched were the thorax and upper limbs.