PhD Studentship: Too much touch? Enabling a better understanding of the use of touch in dementia care.

Project advert

Healthcare practitioners (doctors, nurses, therapists, their assistants and students) regularly touch patients with dementia when delivering healthcare. A distinction has been made in the healthcare literature between ‘necessary’ touch (for example dressing a wound or examining a patient) and ‘non-necessary’ touch (for example holding a patient’s hand or putting a hand on their shoulder). Whist this ‘non-necessary’ touch occurs regularly in dementia care, it is less commonly seen in other healthcare settings. However, the distinction between ‘necessary’ and ‘unnecessary’ touch may be an oversimplification as we do not understand what interactional purpose touch serves in this context. This project will use the sociological method of conversation analysis to examine the use of touch as it occurs between patients and staff on acute Healthcare of the Older Person hospital wards. Analysis will begin with an existing corpus of video recorded data, but the successful candidate will also collect and analyse new data to supplement this. The project aims to provide a more detailed contribution to the empirical basis for delivering dementia care; and to develop a training resource for staff grounded in this empirical research. 

Project aims and objectives

The project will address 4 interconnected research questions: 

• What functions does touch serve in the care of people living with dementia (PLWD) on acute hospital wards? 
• In what interactional contexts is it used (for example acknowledging hard-to-interpret turns at talk, responding to distress) and by whom (doctors, nurses, other healthcare professionals)? 
• Is it used in place of, or as an adjunct to verbal communication? 
• How is it responded to by PLWD?

Answering these questions will enable the development of an empirically-derived trading resource to inform best practice in caring for a patient group that healthcare professionals report feeling unprepared for.

Entry Requirements

The ideal candidate will have a degree in sociology or a related social science discipline. Experience of working in healthcare settings and/or with people with dementia would be advantageous. A master’s degree will be looked on favourably but is not essential. An understanding of or experience of using conversation analysis is desirable but not essential.

Funding

The studentship provides an annual stipend at the UKRI standard rate (£19,237 per year for 2024-2025). Successful applicants will start in October 2025.

Please note, this project is only available to Home students only due to the nature of the funding source.

How to apply

Interested applicants should contact Professor Alison Pilnick (a.pilnick@mmu.ac.uk) for an informal discussion. 

To apply you will need to complete the online application form for a full-time PhD in Nursing and Public Health, or download the PGR application form.

You should also complete the Narrative CV form addressing the project’s aims and objectives, demonstrating how the skills you have maps to the area of research and why you see this area as being of importance and interest. 

If applying online, you will need to upload your statement in the supporting documents section, or email the application form and statement to PGRAdmissions@mmu.ac.uk. 

Closing date: 14 March 2025

Expected start date: October 2025

Please quote the reference: H&E_Nursing_AP_2024_25_Dementia

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