Background: Nursing staff use touch on a daily basis, often without reflecting over it. It is not only the touch itself that emerges, everyday nursing staff get involved in the meeting with patients. The use of touch can be divided in to different kinds of touch, due to its purpose these are instrumental- and expressive touch. Purpose: The purpose with the study was to illustrate what physical touch means for the meeting between patient and caregiver. Method: A literature review has been done, based on ten scientific articles and by these four domains emerged. Result: Four domains emerged why touch is given, how touch is given, where touch is given and its effects and how touch effects the meeting. Touch was given in the purpose of helping and calming the patients. It was described on which part of the body that was acceptable to touch and not acceptable. Studies also showed a difference between male and female staff giving touch to female respective male patients. Conclusion: It is important as nursing staff to have a good intention and a good will when they are about to touch a patient. The patient is often in a weak position. Therefore it is important that the nursing staff observe and listen to the patient so the meeting and the touch can be as good as possible.