Patients wants a back rub

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How did the bedtime back rub come to be associated with nurses? MANY years ago I was doing agency staffing. I got called in to a very fancy private hospital to do a shift. One of my assigned patients rang the call bell. When I went into the room she wanted her "bedtime back rub." Being young and eager to please I gave her a back rub, but the whole thing felt really icky to me. Was there a time when nurses were night time massage people?

The use of massage and touch in general has long been an important and useful thing.

I wonder if the ick factor is more of a cultural bias in America.vs other countries where touch is more acceptable.

I believe our bodies were made to be touched - it certainly is important for babies and as a hospice nurse I use it a lot as do many of the aides. As for gloves, I would only use them if necessary due to existing health precautions.

I am pretty sure that our world would be a better place if we each got and gave a massage daily.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

At the risk of seeming snarky, you've been a nurse for 33 years and you don't know about back rubs? There's nothing lewd or lascivious about them. They can help decrease the patient's need for pain medication, they promote circulation, they help the patient relax and hopefully get some sleep, they promote skin integrity, and giving a back rub is a perfect opportunity for the nurse to assess for areas of skin breakdown.

That's my off-the-top-of-my-head list. If I sat here and gave it more thought, I'm sure I could come up with several more. I do remember reading somewhere that a hospital tried reinstating the back rubs at night. They noticed that patients rang their call bells less when they got back rubs.

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Specializes in Oncology.
When I started practicing, it was a standard part of HS care for every client. Some people turned down the offer, but it was standard nursing care to at least offer it to every client at HS. The point was good skin care as well as promoting relaxation and a good night's sleep. Nothing "icky" about it.

Now the last time I was in the hospital I was told I wasn't allowed to shower and was given no other alternative for bathing and had a note left on my bedside tablet explaining that they don't change sheets except when visibly soiled because "the environment" and no one even straightened the ones I had at any point.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.

About 12 years ago, I was in the hospital for a really bad leg fx. I was bedfast, period. When you're stuck in bed all day, it turns into torture.

I always declined the offer of a back rub, but one day, the aid who came in to help me do my bath wouldn't let me say no. I'll tell you what...that back rub was a slice of heaven!

Now imagine being an elderly patient in a nursing home, stuck in bed for the majority of the day, day after day, month after month, year after year. Those few minutes it takes to give a back rub could save you having to answer multiple calls from the patient, as well as having to give prns for pain, sleep, etc. And that's just one patient. Multiply that by all of the other patients in that unit, and you're talking about a lot of extra work.

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Specializes in Early Intervention, Nsg. Education.

When I was in a hospital-based LPN program 26ish years ago, we were taught that a back rub was essential. So were hand soaks and foot soaks. And positioning with trochanter rolls and some kind of foam block to prevent foot drop. Since it was a hospital-based program, we had tons of clinical hours and by the end of the program we were taking a full assignment, back rubs and all.

When I entered RN school right after graduating from the LPN program, I was able to skip 1st semester fundamentals by challenging the lab practical, which did include a back rub, as I recall. None of my classes from LPN school were transferable, so I took a full load of academic classes at the same time as my nursing classes, and I still graduated with my ASN in 4 semesters. I know I wasn't the only one who did it that way. When did the pre-requisite vs co-requisite system start? I never really thought about that until now, since none of my classes were transferred. I did manage to take several CLEP exams to get the basics out of the way, though.

Oh gosh, does this mean I'm a COB?😱

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Specializes in M/S, pedi.

I learned this as HS care as well, but the actual act called effluerage is still taught in NS , at least mine in 2012. I give back rubs all of the time.

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As per previous posters, nurses are taught.. and understand the importance and benefits of human touch.

It works wonders.

In the current hospital environment, nurses barely have time to glance at the back, let alone massage it.

The last time my patient asked for a back rub.. I burst out laughing.

Patient care is now .. based on a BUSINESS model. No time for the human touch.

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Specializes in M/S, Pulmonary, Travel, Homecare, Psych..
I'm a future COB, but close enough to be one. I remember being taught effleurage and petrissage in school. I find it is an appropriate use of therapeutic touch.

Speaking of which, on the left trap, please, harder.....aaaah.

Yeah, that's what I thought too. It's use of therapeutic touch.

Just want to toss in there too though that you should always be 100% sure you have consent first. Sounds ticky tacky but, some patients don't want touched like that and will take it very wrong if you just bowl in and start touching them like that.

Don't ask why I know that. :(

We were all new nurses at one time I guess lol

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

I would offer each of my patients a back rub every shift if I had the time. Unfortunately, I never do and I can probably count on one hand the number of ones I have been able to do this in the hospital. As I recall, I had to make the time (taking time away from another task or patient) to do it those rare times that I have.

Of course if someone is already being icky or perverse, I would never offer that.

There are times at work when a patient will grab my hand and hold it, or a coworker might rub my back or pat it to be friendly. When I have that human connection I instantly relax and feel better. It's such a basic human thing. For that reason, I try to incorporate therapeutic touch with my patients as often as possible when appropriate. It's not for everyone (some people have small personal bubble space) but when it seems appropriate I will hold a patients hand to soothe them, brush their hair, rub their feet, or even hug them.

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Specializes in Infection Prevention, Public Health.

At the risk of seeming snarky, you've been a nurse for 33 years and you don't know about back rubs? There's nothing lewd or lascivious about them.

Actually anytime someone says "you've been a nurse for XXX years and you don't know (enter a topic), it is a put-down. I did say that the back rub was icky (to me) but definitely not "lewd or lascivious."

Overall, I learned a lot from the responses on this topic. I haven't done hospital nursing in a very long time. I can see circumstances in which massage techniques would be very comforting.

However, I really stiffen up if someone touches me and I would not like it if a colleague were holding my hand. I had a coworker who liked to hold hands and stroke my arms. Major stress; I had to nip that in the bud. If a patient needed to hold my hand, that's fine.

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Specializes in Oncology.
As per previous posters, nurses are taught.. and understand the importance and benefits of human touch.

It works wonders.

In the current hospital environment, nurses barely have time to glance at the back, let alone massage it.

The last time my patient asked for a back rub.. I burst out laughing.

Patient care is now .. based on a BUSINESS model. No time for the human touch.

I certainly am not giving 15 minute massages, but I turn and position my patients that require is q2h or at least q3h and rub their backs down with barrier cream with a moderate amount of pressure when I do. I can literally see the circulation returning to their skin and the wrinkles leaving their back and the sighs of relief from the patient are so satisfying.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
At the risk of seeming snarky, you've been a nurse for 33 years and you don't know about back rubs? There's nothing lewd or lascivious about them.

Actually anytime someone says "you've been a nurse for XXX years and you don't know (enter a topic), it is a put-down. I did say that the back rub was icky (to me) but definitely not "lewd or lascivious."

OK, so what do you mean by "icky"? Are back rubs gross to you? Why is this bothering you now, if it happened "MANY" years ago? I'm being absolutely serious with this...are you somehow traumatized by this incident that happened so long ago?

What sort of work are you doing now? Is there a chance you'll need to do this in your current job?

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