On the front lines of managed care: professional changes and communicative dilemmas of hospital nurses.

ABSTRACT

This article explores how the role of the hospital nurse has been transformed by managed care, with a concentration on changes relevant to communicative relationships and processes. Two brief case analyses are considered to examine how hospital nurses have felt the impact of being on the "front lines" of managed care. Findings illustrate the utility of a communication perspective in understanding changes in nursing at individual, organizational, and system levels.