Journey less travelled: Female nursing students’ experiences in providing intimate care in two nursing education institutions in Gauteng province, South Africa

Abstract

This study explored female nursing students' experiences of intimate care for diverse patients.Setting: The study was conducted in two nursing education institutions in Gauteng province, South Africa. Methods:Descriptive phenomenology was used to describe the lived experiences of participants. Seventeen female nursing students were purposively sampled. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analysed using Moustakas' (1994) eight steps.Results: Four themes emerged: intimate care comprehension, preparedness for providing intimate care, reactions in providing intimate care and coping mechanisms when providing intimate care to diverse patients. Conclusion:Intimate care forms a basis on which nursing students prioritise the physical needs of patients by providing care that exposes their bodies and requires touch. The students were taught to provide care with respect, maintaining patient autonomy and nursing professionalism. Unfortunately, age and gender barriers create feelings of discomfort and embarrassment. More needs to be done to support and empower nursing students in providing intimate care to diverse patients competently, confidently and comfortably.Contribution: Understanding the experiences of participants in providing intimate care to diverse patients will assist nurse educators in intimate care facilitation and support. The female nursing students will be empowered and trained to execute intimate care in a manner that is culturally, religiously and ethically acceptable.

Safeguarding professional intimate care and touch in Nursing Education: humanistic care in a technological era

“…As indicated earlier, intimate care requires a nurse to touch the body of the patient, if it is not facilitated in NEI, the student becomes exposed to the human body during clinical placement. A vast literature from humanistic care scholars such as [9,28,32,33] has indicated that intimate care and touch are not facilitated in skills laboratories and nursing students learn it from trial and error and from other students. Since registered nurses are not knowledgeable about the supervision of intimate care, therefore, intimate care empowerment and support during clinical placement are lacking.…”

Degendering Male Nursing Students’ Intimate Care Provision: A South African Perspective

“…A theory-generative study was conducted, with multiple phases published elsewhere [10,18,20] this manuscript presents descriptive phenomenological experiences of male nursing students in providing intimate care to diverse patients. A phenomenological study focuses on the conscious experiences of the participants and gains meaning from a phenomenon [21].…”