CANCER-PATIENTS HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE IN STOCKHOLM - PATIENTS DESCRIPTIONS AND NURSING DISCOURSE

Although nursing literature on 'caring' has proliferated in recent yea rs, relatively little empirical data exists about which aspects of nur sing practice are those recognized and valued by patients. The purpose of the qualitative study presented here is to explore the manner in w hich one group of Swedish patients describe and explain the domain of nursing. The data presented derives from interviews with persons diagn osed with cancer during 1987 at one general hospital in the greater St ockholm area. Forty-six patients were interviewed in 1988-89, and 20 o f these survivors were interviewed again in 1992. The domain of nursin g practice 'expected' by the patients was seen to be defined positivel y, both by what nurses 'are' and 'do', as well as negatively, by what they do not do. It was found that the patient-nurse contact, as descri bed by these patients, was between an individual patient and a nursing collective. Finally, the need for local rather than global criteria f or evaluating nursing care is discussed.