Ruth Crawford1, Jane Stein-Parbury2, Denise Dignam3. 1. School of Health, Whitireia New Zealand, DX SX33459, Porirua 5022, New Zealand. Electronic address: Ruth.Crawford@whitireia.ac.nz. 2. Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Health, UTS Kuring-gai, PO Box 222 Lindfield, NSW, 2070, Australia; University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia. Electronic address: jane.stein-parbury@uts.edu.au. 3. 307 Milson Line, RD 8, Palmerston North 4478, New Zealand. Electronic address: dignampvt@gmail.com.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: This paper reports research undertaken to investigate nurses' and parents' experiences of communication about parental emotions in a hospital setting, with a focus on the environmental and cultural context within which the communication occurs. METHODS: A focused ethnography was employed as the aims were to understand the context within which nurse-parent interaction takes place, by exploring cultural factors, such as ways of living affecting nursing communication. Data collection occurred in a children's unit of a New Zealand hospital, involving 260h of participant observation field work, informal interviews with parents and nurses, followed by 20 formal interviews with nurses and parents. RESULTS: Nurses are cultural brokers, with the potential to be a link between the insider culture, the hospital and the outside, the parents. Parents look to nurses for cultural brokerage, to help them cross the strong cultural boundaries present in a hospital unit. CONCLUSION: The context and culture of a hospital unit influences nurse-parent communication. There is a disconnection between parents' emotional needs in hospital and nurses' ability to meet those needs. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Nurses must be supported to provide effective cultural brokerage for parents. Unit managers need to acknowledge that meeting parents' diverse needs is vital.
OBJECTIVES: This paper reports research undertaken to investigate nurses' and parents' experiences of communication about parental emotions in a hospital setting, with a focus on the environmental and cultural context within which the communication occurs. METHODS: A focused ethnography was employed as the aims were to understand the context within which nurse-parent interaction takes place, by exploring cultural factors, such as ways of living affecting nursing communication. Data collection occurred in a children's unit of a New Zealand hospital, involving 260h of participant observation field work, informal interviews with parents and nurses, followed by 20 formal interviews with nurses and parents. RESULTS: Nurses are cultural brokers, with the potential to be a link between the insider culture, the hospital and the outside, the parents. Parents look to nurses for cultural brokerage, to help them cross the strong cultural boundaries present in a hospital unit. CONCLUSION: The context and culture of a hospital unit influences nurse-parent communication. There is a disconnection between parents' emotional needs in hospital and nurses' ability to meet those needs. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Nurses must be supported to provide effective cultural brokerage for parents. Unit managers need to acknowledge that meeting parents' diverse needs is vital.