WHAT AM I MEANT TO BE DOING - PUTTING PRACTICE INTO THEORY AND BACK AGAIN IN NEW NURSING ROLES

This two-part paper is based on some of the findings from an action re search study of the development of patient-centred nursing in an acute medical unit. In the first part, Angie Titchen presents findings from a case study of a ward undergoing the initial changes from traditiona l nursing to primary nursing. She documents and reflects upon the comp lexity of establishing new nursing roles, the devolution of authority and the shift in power relationships within the ward team, and the con fusion and pain caused by role ambiguity. In the second part, we show how we addressed these problems through the action research.