Aim

The aim of this article was to introduce Fairclough's critical discourse analysis (CDA) in caring and nursing science, to provide a guide on how to perform such an analysis, and to describe the wider context of discourse epistemology.

Design

The article is designed as a methodological paper, including (a) epistemological roots of discourse analysis, (b) an overview of discourse analytical research within caring and nursing science which points out an increased trend, and (c) a guide to conducting a CDA.

Analysis

It is important that discourse analysis is available and accessible to nursing and caring researchers. Through the process of encircling discourses, valuable insight is given into fields that otherwise would be lost or would not be available.

Conclusion

Our summary stance is that discourse analysis as it is presented in this article is strongly advisable for use in nursing and caring sciences.

We compared online distributed information provided to patients with cancer in Scandinavian countries through the lens of governmentality. A secondary comparative qualitative analysis was conducted. Discourses in online patient information showed differences in governmentality techniques across the countries: Norway used a paternalist approach, Denmark an educative approach, and Sweden an individualistic approach and expected the patients to make the “right” decisions. Online information for patients with cancer in Denmark and Norway showed high professional and health care system involvement, whereas in Sweden, there was high patient involvement. There was almost no use of the person-centered approach among the online discourses

Background: Social interactions between registered nurses, older patients and their relatives are essential and play a central role in developing a successful care relationship in healthcare encounters. How nurses interact with patients affects the patient’s well-being. Limited time and demands for efficiency influence the encounter and complaints from patients and relatives often concern social interactions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the social interaction in encounters between registered nurses, older patients and their relatives at a department of medicine for older people.

Methods: The study has an ethnographic approach including participatory observations (n = 21) and informal field conversations (n = 63), followed by a thematic analysis with an abductive approach reflecting Goffman’s interactional perspective.

Result: The result revealed a pattern where the participants manoeuvred between interplay and context. By manoeuvring, they defined roles but also created a common social situation. Nurses led the conversation; patients followed and described their health problems, while relatives captured the moment to receive and provide information. Finally, nurses summarised the encounter using ritual language, patients expressed gratitude through verbal and non-verbal expressions, while relatives verbally confirmed the agreements.

Conclusion: The social interaction between registered nurses, older patients and relatives was shaped by a pattern where the participants manoeuvred between interplay and context. When all participants assume responsibility for the social interaction, they become active and listen to each other. The approach adopted by nurses is crucial, thus training in communication and social interaction skills are important. When the asymmetry due to imbalance, is reduced, less misunderstanding and a satisfactory care relationship can be achieved.

The aim of this study was to analyse how the patient is constructed and socially positioned in Swedish patient information. Corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis methodology was utilised on a sample of 56 online patient information texts about cancer containing a total of 126,711 words. The findings show an overarching discourse of informed consent guided by specific features to produce a patient norm that we name “the reasonable patient”, who is receptive to arguments, emotionally restrained and makes decisions based on information. Through the discourse of informed consent, the norm of the reasonable patient emerges, apparently to even out the imbalance of power between patient and professional, but in reality, more likely to construct a patient who is easily controlled and managed. When the self-responsibility towards health is incorporated into the everyday domestic spaces via digital health technologies, the ideas and concepts of the patient role need to be reconsidered based on these new conditions. We conclude that it is important for nursing researchers to broaden the research on patients to include the relationship of power created through language. This study demonstrates both methodological and empirical possibilities to do so

Purpose

The paper aims to compare and discuss the findings of discursive constructions of patients in legal texts from the three Scandinavian countries. Since traditional welfare state systems in Scandinavia are being challenged by new governance systems, new questions are being raised about patient positions and agency, carrying with them potential ethical dilemmas for healthcare professionals.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology of the paper is inspired by critical discourse analysis. Comprehensively analysing the findings of previous discourse studies on how "the patient" is constructed in central policy texts, this study compares the position of the patient in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

Findings

The paper reveals ideological struggles across the Scandinavian countries, operating at a political level, a legislative level and a healthcare level. It is shown that national governance systems still exert hegemonic power by strongly influencing patients' degree of choice and autonomy. The discursive struggle between welfare state governance and other governance systems in Scandinavia indicates a shift towards a commercial healthcare market although a traditional welfare model is advocated by professionals and researchers

Research limitations/implications

Because of the specific conditions of Scandinavian healthcare policy, the findings lack generalisability. The research approach should therefore be explored further in additional contexts.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can inform policymakers, professionals and patients of the ideological values underlying seemingly objective shifts in national policy.

Originality/value

A comparative critical discourse analysis can expose patterns in the Scandinavian approaches to patient rights.

BACKGROUND: When patients, relatives and nurses meet, they form a triad that can ensure a good care relationship. However, hospital environments are often stressful and limited time can negatively affect the care relationship, thus decreasing patient satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE: To explain the care relationship in triad encounters between patients, relatives and nurses at a department of medicine for older people.

DESIGN: A qualitative explorative study with an ethnographic approach guided by a sociocultural perspective.

METHOD: Participatory observations and informal field conversations with patients, relatives and nurses were carried out from October 2015-September 2016 and analysed together with field notes using ethnographic analysis.

RESULT: The result identifies a process where patients, relatives and nurses use different strategies for navigating before, during and after a triad encounter. The process is based on the following categories: orienting in time and space, contributing to a care relationship and forming a new point of view.

CONCLUSION: The result indicates that nurses, who are aware of the process and understand how to navigate between the different perspectives in triad encounters, can acknowledge both the patient's and relatives' stories, thus facilitating their ability to understand the information provided, ensure a quality care relationship and strengthen the patient's position in the health-care setting, therefore making the mission to establish a care relationship possible.

Traditional welfare state systems in Scandinavia are challenged by new governance systems. Demands for efficiency and productivity in healthcare increase, raising questions about patients' positions and agency. This also implies ethical dilemmas for healthcare professionals. Comprehensively analysing the findings of previous discourse studies on how the patient is constructed in central policy texts, this study compares the position of the patient and the accompanying ideological struggles in Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The purpose was to compare and discuss the findings of discursive constructions of patients in law and policy text from the three countries. We found an ideological struggle across the Scandinavian countries, operating at a political level, a legislative level and a healthcare level, with variation in how the new value-based patient care is constructed. We conclude that national governance systems still exert hegemonic power by strongly influencing patients' degree of choice and autonomy. The Scandinavian countries may all be heading towards a commercial healthcare market, despite their tradition of a welfare model of healthcare. Today, healthcare strategies move in the opposite direction, controlled by politicians' financial goals. The ideological struggle between welfare state governance and other governance systems, may exist also in other western countries in our globalized world.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study's purpose was to describe and analyze coach-parents' development process when supporting parents of children recently diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM).

BACKGROUND: It has been found repeatedly that providing social support for families with a child diagnosed with T1DM promotes health and wellbeing for both the child and the parents. Less explored are the processes experienced by those who provide this support. However, research has found that acting as a provider of social support promotes personal development, strengthens communication skills, and increases self-confidence.

METHODS: The study design was based on Constructivist Grounded Theory and data were collected, through Repeated Focus Group Discussions, from eight coach-parents at a Swedish hospital from 2012-2015.

RESULTS: The core category in the data was identified as a learning process where coach-parents emphasized their own learning in the dyad supporter - supported, and in the interaction with other parents in the Repeated Focus Group Discussions. The coach-parents' motivation for participation was a wish to learn more and to help other parents in a life-changing situation. They also pointed out hindrances and their frustration when unable to provide support.

CONCLUSIONS: This study leads to the conclusion that people who provide support benefit from doing so. Encountering people with similar experiences in a supportive situation promotes a reciprocal learning process, based on the supporter's wish to help people in a situation they recognize. A further conclusion is that social support is not only essential initially, but is also important over a longer period and that it follows various life stages.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Setting up repeated focus group discussions might be a relevant and effective tool for pediatric diabetes nurses to use in promoting health and wellbeing for both families with a newly diagnosed child and experienced families. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

AIM: To describe how nurses communicate with older patients and their relatives in a department of medicine for older people in western Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Communication is an essential tool for nurses when working with older patients and their relatives but often patients and relatives experience shortcomings in the communication exchanges. They may not receive information or are not treated in a professional way. Good communication can facilitate the development of a positive meeting and improve the patient's health outcome.

DESIGN: An ethnographic design informed by the sociocultural perspective was applied.

METHOD: Forty participatory observations were conducted and analyzed during the period October 2015 to September 2016. The observations covered 135 hours of nurse-patient-relative interaction. Field notes were taken and 40 informal field conversations with nurses and 40 with patients and relatives were carried out. Semi-structured follow-up interviews were conducted with five nurses.

RESULTS: In the result, it was found that nurses communicate with four different voices: a medical voice described as being incomplete, task-oriented and with a disease perspective; a nursing voice described as being confirmatory, process-oriented and with a holistic perspective; a pedagogical voice described as being contextualized, comprehension-oriented and with a learning perspective; and a power voice described as being distancing and excluding. The voices can be seen as context-dependent communication approaches. When nurses switch between the voices this indicates a shift in the orientation or situation.

CONCLUSION: The results indicate that if nurses successfully combine the voices, while limiting the use of the power voice, the communication exchanges can become a more positive experience for all parties involved and a good nurse-patient-relative communication exchange can be achieved.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Working for improved communication between nurses, patients and relatives is crucial for establishing a positive nurse-patient-relative relationship, which is a basis for improving patient care and healthcare outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.