Providing high-touch through high-tech during pandemic in the intensive care unit: A narrative review

Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, healthcare providers have had to adapt how they triage, diagnose, and care for patients. Intensive care nurses are challenged by a new working scenario inside the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). They must provide the expected high standard care with advanced technology for patients while maintaining the important role of nurse’s therapeutic touch. This review discusses the touch and technology of nursing in general, which is correlated with providing nursing care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during the pandemic. This study aimed to create theoretical foundations for nurses’ role in dealing with technology in the ICU during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, nurses appreciate the advantages of technology, but they also recognize that human interaction is important. Nurses must be able to provide appropriate care through the use of high technology without forgetting the value of nursing itself which is manifested in the form of therapeutic touch.