[Occurrence and significance of touching between nursing professionals and patients in an ICU and a semi-intensive surgical unit].

This study aims to identify the use of the instrumental and/or emotional touch and its characteristics by nursing professionals in the nonverbal communication with the ICU and Semi Intensive Surgical Unit patients of a school hospital--University of São Paulo; and to identify the professionals and patients feelings and perceptions in relation to the touches experienced. The study was developed with 19 nursing professionals and 19 patients, from October to November 2000, through direct observation of the interaction and individual interview. The feelings and perceptions reported were classified and we noticed that most of the touches were instrumental-emotional.