No abstract

The phenomenon, caring relationship, has been widely studied in earlier research. Nevertheless, empirical studies in hospital, concerning patients and nurses experiences of the actual phenomenon caring relationship are rare. The aim was to illuminate patients with long-term illness and nurses' experiences of the caring relationship. The data were collected from 13 interviews, seven patients and six nurses, which were then analysed using an interpretive phenomenological method. This study shows patients' and nurses' view of the phenomenon. The findings concerning patients' view were identified in themes --'Maintaining dignity' with subthemes: using one's own competence and being cared for by the team as well as 'A feeling of vulnerability' with subthemes: being cared for in a strained situation and being exposed, inquiring personal caring relationship. The findings concerning nurses' view were identified in the following themes: 'A purposeful striving' with subthemes: using one's own competence and being aware of limitations as well as 'An arduous compassion' with subthemes: giving care in a strained situation and being aware of what is needed. These findings show that patients and nurses were aware in their striving for trust through forming a caring relationship. Their striving was not enough to result in trust. The findings in this study are understood as patients need a personal caring relationship which enables the possibility of trust.

When people die suddenly and unexpectedly ethical issues often come to the fore. The aim of the study was to describe experiences of members of stroke teams in stroke units of ethical problems and how the teams manage the situation when caring for patients faced with sudden and unexpected death from stroke. Data were collected through four focus group interviews with 19 team members in stroke-unit teams, and analysed using interpretive content analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis characterized by information, decisions about care and support for the next-of-kin in the changing and uncertain situation, with mutual trust as the core. Mutual trust, both within the stroke team and with next-of-kin was seen by the stroke-team members as a way of handling ethical problems by administering care with the patient's best interest at heart.

Drama is effective in entry level courses in nursing education to enhance student learning and can be flexible and adjusted to various contexts. Further research using drama to enroll nursing students as fictive patients and relatives and thereby explore different perspectives is suggested, and more research on the application of drama in nursing education at an advanced level is required.

The aim of this study was to investigate how the caring relationship is formed in a medical context. The data were collected using participant observation with field notes and analysed by an interpretive phenomenological method. The context circumstances in a medical milieu demanded exacting efficiency and risks to oppress the caring relationship, subsequently causing demands in nursing practice. Three themes of the caring relationship were identified as respect for each other and for themselves, responsibility to reach out to each other and engagement. Patients' and nurses' awareness in encounters drove the forming of a caring relationship that went beyond the individual nurse and patient. This study implicates the importance of an understanding of how context circumstances create the foundation of the caring relationship.