A study into nurses and health care consumers perceptions of caring
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A grounded theory study exploring health care consumers and nurses perceptions of caring
IRAS ID
125781
Contact name
Tracy Ross
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Glyndwr University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Aims: This study aims to develop theory regarding the way that caring is perceived by nurses and patients. The study will examine the perceptions of these two groups in order to identify similaries and differences in order to produce a new model of caring that can be used to guide future practice that reflects caring in the modern NHS.
Charmaz’s (2000) Constructivist Grounded Theory will be used a theoretical framework for an inductive study that compares the views of caring held by nurses and patients as research ( Ombudsman’s Report 2011, Peacock and Nolan 2000, Meng et al 2011) suggests that nurses are not always providing the type of caring desired by patients. 15 nurses and 15 patients will be sampled and unstructured interviews will be conducted in a private room. Field notes will also be used to analyse ideas and links that may appear throughout the study. Data will be simultaneously collected and analysed in accordance with Charmaz’s framework.
Relevance: Numerous reports and research based articles argue that caring is losing its position of primacy in the modern NHS. Nurses currently lack a clear framework to direct their caring practices so there is a lack of consistency. Nursing models exist to guide practice but many of these models fail to consider caring as a construct. There is an assumption that nurses and patients perceive caring in different ways and this results in increased levels of complaints and misunderstandings in care delivery. Alternative values such as technology, targets, medical tasks etc will continue to direct care if nurses do not make caring the primacy of practice but in order to do this nurses need to understand what patients want from their caring experience and alternative models of care delivery need to be developed that can enhance caring in the modern NHS.REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2
REC reference
16/ES/0061
Date of REC Opinion
26 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion