MAKING RISK MEANINGFUL - DEVELOPING CARING RELATIONSHIPS WITH AIDS PATIENTS

A qualitative study was conducted in order to understand how nurses co pe with the risk of contagion while providing care to persons with AID S (PWAs). Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 13 nurs es who had cared for PWAs in an acute-care hospital in a western Canad ian city. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method ology of grounded theory. The analysis revealed that caring for PWAs i nvolved achieving a sense of control over uncertainty. One aspect of t his process, making risk meaningful, centred on efforts to justify car ing for PWAs in the face of risk. The purpose of this paper is to desc ribe how nurses make risk meaningful. A sense of meaning was found to be related to three major factors: accepting the patient as a person w ho needs and deserves care, finding work enjoyable and worthwhile, and professional commitment to care for all patients. Attaining a sense o f meaning led to a reappraisal of the risk situation as worthy of inve stment and provided the motivation to care for patients in spite of ri sk. The paper concludes with implications for practice and suggestions for further research.