Deconstructing the language of psychiatric hospitalization

The purpose of this study was to deconstruct the language of psychiatric nu rses' documentation and charting. Employing concepts developed by post-mode rn theorists, everyday professional activities can be examined in unique wa ys that uncover how they conceal or skew rather than reveal and illumine pa tient conditions. The study design and sample was exploratory; content anal ysis with first and second level analyses;Nine major categories of charting entry were found. Deconstruction of the language and discourse of nursing through a Foucaultian lens goes beyond what is manifest to what is not said . Professional assumptions about patients and the social construction of pa tients and patient problems are exposed.