Gudrun Rudolfsson

The development of caring in the perioperative culture : Nurse leaders' perspective on the struggle to retain sight of the patient

This article focuses on Swedish nurse leaders and is aimed at achieving a more complete and differentiated understanding of what constitutes caring in the perioperative culture as well as their knowledge and responsibility for the development of caring. Interviews with open-ended questions were conducted with 10 nurse leaders, in which they described their experiences of developing perioperative caring. The interpretation process was based on Gadamers philosophy of hermeneutics. The findings indicate that developing a perioperative caring culture is a struggle to retain sight of the patient, a process that includes the following 6 phases: (1) when the nurse leaders understood perioperative caring as a process, the nurses and patients shared world became obvious to them; (2) safeguarding the patients position as a unique human being; (3) safeguarding the nurses welfare by creating a compassionate atmosphere; (4) promoting an idea means never giving up; (5) attaching importance to being trustworthy; and (6) being involved in a dynamic interaction, comprising communion and reciprocity. The most important goal of nursing leadership is to safeguard the welfare of the suffering patient and the relationship between the nurse leader and nursing staff, based on the motive of caritas derived from the idea of humanistic caring.

Experiences of spirituality and spiritual values in the context of nursing - an integrative review.

Spirituality is often mistakenly equated with religion but is in fact a far broader concept. The aim of this integrative review was to describe experiences of the positive impact of spirituality and spiritual values in the context of nursing. The analysis was guided by Whittemore and Knafl’s integrative review method. The findings revealed seven themes: ‘Being part of a greater wholeness’, ‘Togetherness − value based relationships’, ‘Developing inner strength’, ‘Ministering to patients’, ‘Maintaining one’s sense of humanity’, ‘Viewing life as a gift evokes a desire to ‘give back’’ and ‘Achieving closure − life goes on’. It is difficult to draw definite conclusions, as spirituality involves many perspectives on various levels of awareness. However, spirituality was considered more inclusive, fluid and personal. Furthermore, it emerged that spirituality and spiritual values in the context of nursing are closely intertwined with the concept of caring.

The common world : a model of the perioperative dialogue, its ethos and characteristic structural caring principles

The purpose for this paper was to explore, on the basis of a previous research program, the foundations of caring associated with the ethos in the common world of the perioperative dialog. A hermeneutic approach grounded in caring science was employed, in which ethos represents the ultimate meaning of caring. This approach resulted in a model comprising the caring properties and characteristic structural caring principles. As a guiding principle of the common world, ethos revealed a deeper principle of order, the responsibility of the face—“Here I am.”

Suffering and suffering with the other – the perspective of perioperative nurse leaders

rudolfsson g. & flensner g. (2012) Journal of Nursing Management20, 278–286 Suffering and suffering with the other – the perspective of perioperative nurse leaders Aim  To capture and interpret meanings of suffering from the perspective of perioperative nurse leaders. Background  There are few studies focusing on suffering and the meaning of being a nurse leader in a perioperative context. Method  Hermeneutic interpretation of interviews with nurse leaders. Results  A main theme of suffering emerged as learning and non-learning. Suffering as learning comprised ‘struggling to come to terms with being misunderstood’, ‘struggling to wait patiently to be allowed to help’, ‘struggling to manage daily tasks’ and ‘struggling to be worthy of the trust of superiors’. Suffering as non-learning comprised ‘feeling alone when in charge’, ‘feeling guilty about not managing daily tasks’, ‘feeling mistrusted by superiors’, ‘feeling unfairly criticized’, ‘feeling humiliated owing to loss of responsibilities’ and ‘feeling unable to help’. Conclusion  Suffering is good when the mission of caring is mastered and the nurse leader feels recognized as unique and trustable, leading to his or her sense of dignity being preserved. Suffering is evil when the mission of caring is threatened, when questioned and not considered a unique and trustable person, leading to loss of dignity. Implications for nursing management  Nurse leaders’ suffering needs to be acknowledged and a caring culture that permeates the entire organization should be developed.

Being altered by the unexpected: Understanding the perioperative patient's experience: A case study: Being altered by the unexpected

The present paper focuses on the process of understanding the patient in the context of perioperative caring and reports a story narrated by a perioperative nurse as well as her emerging understanding of the patient prior to surgery at an operating department. This qualitative case study had a dual purpose; firstly, to describe how the perioperative nurses understanding of the patient emerged and, secondly, to establish how the researcher interpreted the situation. As a perioperative nurse and researcher, the author is both the narrator and interpreter. To date we have rarely discussed the fact that, in a perioperative context, the patient might feel ashamed of his/her body, even before arriving at the operating department. This new understanding emerged from the hermeneutical dialogue in the present study.The present paper focuses on the process of understanding the patient in the context of perioperative caring and reports a story narrated by a perioperative nurse as well as her emerging understanding of the patient prior to surgery at an operating department. This qualitative case study had a dual purpose; firstly, to describe how the perioperative nurses understanding of the patient emerged and, secondly, to establish how the researcher interpreted the situation. As a perioperative nurse and researcher, the author is both the narrator and interpreter. To date we have rarely discussed the fact that, in a perioperative context, the patient might feel ashamed of his/her body, even before arriving at the operating department. This new understanding emerged from the hermeneutical dialogue in the present study.

Being altered by the unexpected : Understanding the perioperative patient's experience

The present paper focuses on the process of understanding the patient in the context of perioperative caring and reports a story narrated by a perioperative nurse as well as her emerging understanding of the patient prior to surgery at an operating department. This qualitative case study had a dual purpose; firstly, to describe how the perioperative nurses understanding of the patient emerged and, secondly, to establish how the researcher interpreted the situation. As a perioperative nurse and researcher, the author is both the narrator and interpreter. To date we have rarely discussed the fact that, in a perioperative context, the patient might feel ashamed of his/her body, even before arriving at the operating department. This new understanding emerged from the hermeneutical dialogue in the present study.The present paper focuses on the process of understanding the patient in the context of perioperative caring and reports a story narrated by a perioperative nurse as well as her emerging understanding of the patient prior to surgery at an operating department. This qualitative case study had a dual purpose; firstly, to describe how the perioperative nurses understanding of the patient emerged and, secondly, to establish how the researcher interpreted the situation. As a perioperative nurse and researcher, the author is both the narrator and interpreter. To date we have rarely discussed the fact that, in a perioperative context, the patient might feel ashamed of his/her body, even before arriving at the operating department. This new understanding emerged from the hermeneutical dialogue in the present study.

Being altered by the unexpected: Understanding the perioperative patient's experience: A case study

The present paper focuses on the process of understanding the patient in the context of perioperative caring and reports a story narrated by a perioperative nurse as well as her emerging understanding of the patient prior to surgery at an operating department. This qualitative case study had a dual purpose; firstly, to describe how the perioperative nurses understanding of the patient emerged and, secondly, to establish how the researcher interpreted the situation. As a perioperative nurse and researcher, the author is both the narrator and interpreter. To date we have rarely discussed the fact that, in a perioperative context, the patient might feel ashamed of his/her body, even before arriving at the operating department. This new understanding emerged from the hermeneutical dialogue in the present study.The present paper focuses on the process of understanding the patient in the context of perioperative caring and reports a story narrated by a perioperative nurse as well as her emerging understanding of the patient prior to surgery at an operating department. This qualitative case study had a dual purpose; firstly, to describe how the perioperative nurses understanding of the patient emerged and, secondly, to establish how the researcher interpreted the situation. As a perioperative nurse and researcher, the author is both the narrator and interpreter. To date we have rarely discussed the fact that, in a perioperative context, the patient might feel ashamed of his/her body, even before arriving at the operating department. This new understanding emerged from the hermeneutical dialogue in the present study.