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Presents the summary of several articles on nursing research. "Research Into Patients' Perspectives: Relevance and Usefulness of Phenomenal Sociology," by C. Edwards and A. Titchen; "Psychometric Properties of the SF-36 in the Early Post-Stroke Phase," by S. Hagen, C. Bugge and H. Alexander; "Efficacy of Swallowing Training for Residents Following Stroke," by L. C. Lin, S. C. Wang, S. H. Chen, T. G. Wang, M. Y. Chen and S. C. Wu; "Management of Childhood Constipation: Parents' Experiences," by M. Farrell, G. Holmes, P. Coldicutt and M. Peak; "Korean Mothers' Psychosocial Adjustment to Their Children's Cancer," by H. R. Han.

This paper is a response to the challenges laid down by Hannah Cooke in a paper in the Journal of Advanced Nursing entitled 'Boundary work in the nursing curriculum: the case of sociology' (Cooke 1993a). In her paper, Cooke noted that the outlook of nursing and sociology are inimicable because nursing's concentration on individuals is at variance with sociology's concern with wider social issues. We argue that it is possible for nursing research to give due attention to social structures without losing its focus on individuals. One methodology that could facilitate this broadening of nursing's epistemological boundaries is critical realist ethnography, which works under the assumption that the relationship between social structures and individual actors involves a two-way process, in that while the enablements and constraints imposed by structures influence individual actions, those actions in turn either maintain or transform social structures. To demonstrate how such a methodology could be applied in nursing research, we work through a case study concerning the theory-practice gap, arguing that the gap is neither the result of clinicians' ignorance of nor antipathy to theory, but is largely generated by the lack of resources enjoyed by nurses, which in turn is a reflection of the social structure of capitalism within which nurses operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are witnessing the emergence of a 'new nursing'. In part, this has been associated with the adoption of a 'holistic' model of health and a commitment to a holistic curriculum within nurse education. The role of sociology within the nursing enterprise has been the subject of much debate. This paper seeks to further this debate by arguing that sociology is invaluable to nursing for many reasons but that its value may be undermined as a consequence of being overly constrained within the nursing arena, at the mutual expense of both sociology and the long term interests of nursing itself. This paper will suggest that central to an understanding of how this 'surplus constraint' of sociology occurs is an understanding of the manner in which the holistic model has been adopted in much of nursing and nurse education. The 'indeterminacy' of the holistic model is such that it has empowered a questionable eclecticism, marginalized philosophical controversies within nursing theory, disguised difficult epistemological and ontological conflicts associated with competing claims to truth and facilitated the operation of a form of power whereby sociology has been excluded, at the very moment of its apparent inclusion. This paper goes on to argue that the value of sociology to nursing is dependent upon: firstly, a more systematic and rigorous discussion of its relationship to, and role within, nursing and secondly, a movement away from an implicit 'assimilation' model regarding the incorporation of sociology into nursing towards a more 'multicultural' approach. Only under such circumstances may sociology's value to nursing be realized but in a manner that places an importance on maintaining the ontological and epistomological integrity of the sociological tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

edwards c. & titchen a. (2003) Journal of Advanced Nursing 44(5), 450–460 Research into patients’ perspectives: relevance and usefulness of phenomenological sociology The dominant epistemology underpinning much inquiry in the field of patient evaluation of health care is positivist, with categorization and quantification being high priorities, despite the highly personal and dynamic nature of people's responses to their health care experiences. The mis-match between underpinning theoretical assumptions and the nature of the subject under investigation has led to ineffectiveness in much current inquiry into patients’ perspectives. More needs to be learnt about patients’ processes of evaluation prior to any summary assessment of the quality of their care. This paper documents the search for a close fit between a study's research questions and a theoretical perspective with which to underpin the research. It describes the benefits of identifying a specifically relevant perspective, in this case phenomenological sociology, and discusses the potential of that particular perspective to underpin research within health care. Research questions relating to patients’ processes of evaluation were established. The possible contribution of a range of interpretative methodologies was considered. While all were relevant to some degree, phenomenological sociology was identified as having considerable specific potential to illuminate the patient's process of evaluation. The particular strengths of phenomenological sociology relevant to the investigation of patients’ processes of reflection are in highlighting the importance of subjectivity; its insistence on a clear link from theoretical development right back to the raw data; its wealth of evocative ideas and concepts that support the investigation of the development of interpretation; and the relatively accessible language and style of its texts. Time spent evaluating the potential contribution of different theoretical perspectives to a study is worthwhile, as a good choice can not only support but also enhance the quality of the research. Phenomenological sociology has much potential to underpin research into patient evaluation of health care and in nursing research more widely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the consequences of the expansion of degree, and diploma level Project 2000 courses in nursing, has been that students are now exposed to a significant amount of material from academic disciplines other than nursing, at a relatively advanced level. In this paper, one such discipline, sociology, is considered, and its relevance to the nursing curriculum is assessed. Following a consideration of two theoretical models of the relationship between academic disciplines and professional practice (the 'personal education' and 'semantic conjunction' models), it is argued that whilst the implicit rationale for the inclusion of sociology in the nursing curriculum can best be understood in relation to the latter, neither model offers a convincing reason as to why we should teach sociology to nurses. It is argued instead that the nature of sociological knowledge is inherently multi-paradigmatic, and hence reflexive, and so cannot in principle provide a knowledge base for action-oriented conduct such as nursing work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A discussion of the boundaries between nursing and sociology is contained in this paper. The creation of nursing as an academic subject is discussed and compared with the creation of academic geography. The creation of academic subject involves 'boundary work' in which power and legitimacy are conferred on some forms of knowledge and not others. Boundary work enables a discipline to stake out a claim to its legitimate territory and the resources that go with it. In a practice discipline such as nursing, the boundaries between nursing and supporting subjects, such as sociology and physiology, create problems of transfer of learning. This has implications for curriculum design. Bernstein's work on educational transmissions offers useful insights. He suggests a distinction between educational knowledge codes. 'Collection' codes involve strong boundaries between subjects, 'integrated' codes imply weak boundaries. The implications of the move to an integrated code in nursing are discussed. The existence of an integrated code implies a 'strong ideological consensus' within a discipline. In nursing this entails a belief in the 'individualized care' of the patients. This is incompatible with the sociological understanding of nursing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the nature of educational studies is considered and discussed. Following some introductory comments, the paper deals with philosophy, psychology and sociology in relation to education. This is followed by a section on social psychology and the paper ends with a section on the history of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backstage in the theatre Observations undertaken in the operating theatre suggested that the social environment, and certain forms of staff behaviour could be explained using the space analysis developed by Erving) in The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. In the study reported in this paper the theatre department was found to be a strongly ‘backstage’ area. However, it was also found that there were limits to this analysis, and these are explained within this article. Some practical suggestions as to how this analysis might be helpful in the management of health care institutions and the education of health care professionals are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sets out to examine health promotion practice in hospital settings from a sociological viewpoint. It starts by tracing the development of health promotion among hospital and community nurses. The influences that professional and institutional structures and agendas have in health promotion are explored and a model of operation is proposed. The main emphasis is that health promotion is not an activity relying solely on skills acquisition by the nurse, but one that requires recognition of where power and control are located. A model of working is proposed which takes account of the institutional and professional agendas and the need to balance these with the needs and rights of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the current sources of material for the debate of moral questions in health care in general and nursing in particular, are inadequate. The current bases of nursing's knowledge and values are explored, and the conclusion drawn that reliance upon theory developed by other disciplines has led to theories which are wholly inappropriate to explain either how nursing is practised or even how it ought to be. A case is made that naturalistic sociological methods such as participant observation have the greatest possibilities to describe and explain moral conduct in nursing. Further, these methods can produce a view of reality more consistent with the experiences and feelings of the patients or clients and other health workers. It would seem that data and theory generated using this perspective could better inform the debates of moral philosophers than the currently dominant sources of their case material, the views of the medical and legal professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suggests the appropriateness of including sociology in the nursing curriculum. Need for a theoretical basis in nursing; Reaction to arguments on the inappropriateness of the multi-paradigmic nature of sociology for nurses; Evaluation of different sociological propositions.

Comments on the usefulness of sociology for the nursing curriculum. Observation on the ideological construction of 'women's' work; Multi-paradigmatic nature of sociology; Criteria for selection of sociological theories; Analysis of philosophical compatibility.

INTRODUCTION: The Ilizarov technique has become an established method in the treatment of children with serious skeletal disorders. Whilst the technique is acknowledged for solving difficult conditions, the application of the external fixator marks the beginning of an arduous treatment programme. Research has suggested that undergoing such treatment can negatively impact upon the physical and psychological well-being of the young person. Yet limitations in research design reduce the usefulness of the findings, given in that most of the previous studies have used retrospective, quantitative data collection approaches, often with a heterogeneous sample population. We wished to gain a richer insight into the experiences of adolescents living with the frame by drawing on both qualitative and quantitative approaches. AIMS: To explore adolescents' perceptions of the anticipated and actual impact of the Ilizarov frame on aspects of daily activity. DESIGN: A mixed-method approach, using a prospective and longitudinal study design. METHOD: Fifteen adolescents undergoing the Ilizarov treatment were contacted at several predetermined time-points during the course of their treatment to share their perceptions of living with the frame. At several of these points semi-structured interviews were used to ascertain their perceptions, whilst quantitative data were gained at all time-points by adolescents completing a range of psychometric measures. FINDINGS: Adolescents found that life with the frame was not as bad as anticipated, and they adopted a pragmatic approach, appreciating that this was something they 'just had to get through'. Peers had a substantial role in supporting their friend to adjust and cope with the frame. Psychometric scores were largely within normal limits. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that, while the Ilizarov treatment is demanding for adolescents, it is one that they can tolerate without sustained adverse psychological impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Should the current proposals to reorganize nursing work and training in the United Kingdom be understood as part of a strategy of professionalization? Traditional sociology and traditional nursing historiography tend to regard professional status as a natural occupational goal, and the widespread use of the rhetoric of professionalism in nurses' own writings and speeches would seem to endorse this. However, more recent work which uses empirical studies rather than secondary accounts and adopts different starting points is offering new perspectives. The documents proposing reform should perhaps be viewed more fruitfully as a struggle for survival through the evolution of a new occupational model, rather than as a covert quest for traditional professional status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sections of the British nursing profession have recently become interested in the nursing process as a means of providing better patient care and increased job satisfaction for nurses. Bernstein's code theory is used in this article to analyse theoretically the change from a task-oriented to a patient-oriented mode of organization of nursing care, and to suggest hypotheses regarding the possible effects of the change a The new mode is analysed as a different and more pervasive form of social control of patients and nurses, and, although it appears to be a radical initiative, the fundamental power structure within which nursing care is given is shown to be unchanged. Whether patients will be more satisfied with their care and nurses will experience less stress in the new mode cannot be taken for granted; they are matters which call for empirical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]