Marcelian charm in nursing practice: the unity of agape and eros as the foundation of an ethic of care

Quality Pastoral Relationships in Healthcare Settings: Guidelines for Codes of Ethics

"Pastoral caregiver-patient relationships" sections in ethical codes commonly provide a list of principles, proscriptions and prescriptions, with a focus on boundaries to safeguard the professional character of pastoral relationships and avert their harmful potential. The article promotes this code section's coherency and comprehensiveness by respectively (i) drawing a framework in the context of which ethical guidance can be orderly presented, and (ii) focusing on the inter-personal core of pastoral relationships and their healing potential.

Living With Obesity: Expressions of Longing

Those who are obese experience complex moral distress. The norm in Western societies is to be slim, and people living with obesity experience challenges under the gaze of society. They feel great vulnerability and the available treatments seldom meet individual needs. New concepts of embodiment need to be developed to include phenomenological investigations. There is limited knowledge about longing among those suffering from obesity. A deeper understanding of longing from an individual perspective is required to improve treatment. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of longing by those suffering from obesity. The research was approved by the Norwegian Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics. An explorative phenomenological–hermeneutical design was used. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 18 participants, all with body mass indexes in the range of 30 to 45, which were then analyzed using a phenomenological–hermeneutical approach. Three main dimensions of longing were revealed: longing for normality, longing for what was lost, and longing for simplicity in life. The health service needs to understand better the longings of obese individuals to help them live their lives in greater freedom, based on their own longings and self-care. Focusing on longing may reveal a person’s true desires, and the longing may be a form of resistance to the disciplination of society.

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Nursing Metaparadigms: A Phenomenological Study

BACKGROUND

The paradigm is a vital concept steering the development of a scientific discipline. Paradigms that shape the education, research, and practice steps of a discipline are defined as metaparadigms.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to explore the perception of nursing students regarding metaparadigms in nursing at Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey.

METHODS

This was designed as a descriptive phenomenological study, and data were collected from 13 fourth-year students who were chosen via a purposeful sampling method and interviewed face-to-face using a semistructured format. Data were analyzed using the data analysis steps of Giorgi, who is an expert in descriptive phenomenological studies.

RESULTS

Most of the participants in this study associated nursing with humanism. Some of the participants stated that a fundamental building block of the nursing profession is conscience, whereas others stated that nursing is a way to touch people's lives and is now regarded as a professional practice. It has been reported that students have difficulties identifying metaparadigms in nursing and that they believe that human beings have the potential to widen their horizons with wisdom and social skills. According to the participants, the health metaparadigm refers to the harmony between human beings and their environment and to the autonomy of the individual. Moreover, the participants emphasized the well-being of individuals.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The participants in this study characterized humans with well-being, transcendence, adaptation and interaction skills with their environment, and harmony beyond physiological mechanisms, which was considered to be promising for the perception of future nurses. It is recommended for nursing educators to enable their students to raise their professional awareness and to internalize professional values.