What does caring mean to nursing and social work students?

AIM: The aim of this study in Lithuania was to discover how the meaning of caring is perceived by nursing and social work students. BACKGROUND: Nursing and social work are caring professions, which provide care in different ways. It is still unclear what features constitute the meaning of caring for nursing and social work students as future caring professionals. METHODS: Snowball sampling technique was applied in the study. The data were collected as reflective narratives. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. FINDINGS: For nursing and social work students, the meaning of caring comprises mission, proficiency, values and collaboration. These features overlap, but the implementation of caring is dependent on the particular profession. DISCUSSION: Nursing and social work students describe the meaning of caring as holistic assistance to patient/client: the work mission for both. However, the tasks, responsibilities and focus on providing care to a patient/client differ in both professions. LIMITATIONS: Reflective narratives were preferred to semi-structured interviews. The researchers did not contact the participants in person to ask them additional questions. CONCLUSION: The meaning of caring is perceived as a developmental phenomenon, which depends on professional philosophy, practice, continuing learning and experience. Nursing and social work students perceive it as a way of thinking about the individual's being in a profession and acting collaboratively for the wellbeing of others. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICY: Focus on the meaning of caring in nursing and social work (post)graduate education is a premise to shift the training from self- to other-centred, from mono- to multi-disciplinary approach. This is related to the shift of practices towards effective patient-centred team-working within the health system, with the spotlight on caring.

Families' experiences of interaction with the public health nurse at the child health clinic in connection with mother's post-natal depression.

The birth of a new family member causes many changes in the way a family functions. Annually some 10% of mothers giving birth suffer from post-natal depression. This depression affects the mother herself, the baby and the functioning of the entire family. The healthcare personnel are faced with an important task in supporting the family in the course of changes occasioned by the birth of a baby. According to earlier studies, families with small children are fairly satisfied with the service provided by the child health clinics. The purpose of the present study was to form a theory of interaction with the public health nurse in the child health clinic when the mother is suffering from post-natal depression from the viewpoint of family. The data for the study were gathered by interviewing nine families (nine mothers and five fathers) where the mother had displayed symptoms of post-natal depression. The data were analysed using continuous comparative analysis of grounded theory. The concepts of the theory emerged as a lack of continuing relationship, a need to be equal partners, a lack of individuality and a lack of family care. The relationships between categories were lack of discussing, lack of being confidential and lack of getting help enough. The core category emerging was lack of holistic cooperation with unique family. In spite of the emphasis placed on family centeredness in the operating principles of the work in child health clinics, its implementation in practical work cannot be taken for granted. Because of the limited resources available to the clinics, it is the experience of depressed mother in particular that they are not treated sufficiently as individuals and that they are subjected to adjudication in the clinics. The parents felt that the personality of the public health nurse was crucial to how they felt about the service they obtained from the clinic.

Religiosity as a dimension of well-being: a challenge for professional nursing.

The principles of holistic nursing require understanding the human individual as a complex and coherent entity consisting of physical, psychic, social, and spiritual dimensions. Considering the research evidence about people's experiences of well-being, the spiritual dimension, here regarded as synonymous with religiosity, does not seem to receive due attention in nursing. This article describes the appearance of religiosity as an integral part of people's experiences of well-being. Data from interviews with 40 adults who had contacted the primary health care system were analyzed on the basis of a qualitative, thematic analysis. Christians who belonged to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland incorporated their religious values into their experiences of well-being. These values were reflected in ideas of the good life, in solutions to everyday problems, and in self-care. The results highlight the importance of a nursing concept that recognizes each patient's individual well-being.

Humour in nursing care.

Humour is an integral part of everyday life and therefore also a component of the care and treatment of patients in the modern health care system. This paper looks at the role of humour in practical nursing in the light of earlier research literature on the subject. It also describes some preliminary results of our studies on the meaning of humour to professional nurses. We opted to use a qualitative approach in this study because the focus of interest was on an issue that has received only little attention in earlier research. Nurses were presented with a set of unstructured, open-ended questions requiring short, essay-type answers. The data obtained were analysed using the qualitative method of content analysis. In the light of our findings here, humour can be described as a joie de vivre which is manifested in human interaction in the form of fun, jocularity and laughter. Humour is a meaningful factor, both with regard to the patient's well-being and to coping, and also with regard to the interaction of nurse and patient. Humour also allows for more job satisfaction and better motivation. Research should be continued and intensified into the role and use of humour in everyday life and particularly in nursing care.