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Moving Beyond The Therapeutic Relationship: A Selective Review Of Intimacy In The Sexual Health Encounter In Nursing Practice, Leigh East, Marie Hutchinson

Associate Professor Marie Hutchinson

Aims and objectives For the purposes of this study, a selective review of the literature was undertaken with the aim of examining nurses' preparedness to engage in intimate interactions within the context of sexual health care. Kirk's (2007) model of interactional intimacy is used as a lens to examine the literature. Background The provision of sexual health care is often a neglected area of nursing care despite being recognised as a component of holistic nursing practice. Despite theoretical discussion about various forms of intimacy and intimate care, there has been little examination of the interface between intimacy and sexual health …