Analysis of discourses in a health care context

Abstract To develop nursing as a critical normative science (Kirkevold, 2009), a description of the various care areas and different health phenomena is needed. This is being done on the basis of various qualitative methods´; hence within nursing discourse analysis is used to a limited extent. The aim of this paper is to exemplify phenomenon and topics within nursing that have been studied by using discourse analysis. The examples are from studies conducted during the previous years by the authors. Discourses within palliative care based on documents and observations (2009), nursing as a subordinated profession, based on media analysis (2009), and an ongoing study about discourses within care of children with diabetes based on policy documents in the Nordic countries. Discourse analysis provides data, such as interviews, actions and documents to be analyzed in a broader system of knowledge (Wilkinson & Kitzinger, 2000., Lupton, 1993). A discourse is a “systems of thought and systematic ways of carving out reality and is composed by structures of knowledge that influences systems of practice” (Chambon, 1999). All discourses are textual and an inter-textual drawing upon other texts, contextually embedded in historical political and cultural settings. A given text also transforms in a manner that is socially constrained and conditional upon relations of power (Foucault 1979). As Bacchi (2005) urges it is possible to adopt a more comprehensive dual-focus agenda in discourse analysis, taking into account the dual movement of discourse: the way discourse speaks us and the way we speak the discourse

Analysis of discourses in a health care context

Abstract To develop nursing as a critical normative science (Kirkevold, 2009), a description of the various care areas and different health phenomena is needed. This is being done on the basis of various qualitative methods´; hence within nursing discourse analysis is used to a limited extent. The aim of this paper is to exemplify phenomenon and topics within nursing that have been studied by using discourse analysis. The examples are from studies conducted during the previous years by the authors. Discourses within palliative care based on documents and observations (2009), nursing as a subordinated profession, based on media analysis (2009), and an ongoing study about discourses within care of children with diabetes based on policy documents in the Nordic countries. Discourse analysis provides data, such as interviews, actions and documents to be analyzed in a broader system of knowledge (Wilkinson & Kitzinger, 2000., Lupton, 1993). A discourse is a “systems of thought and systematic ways of carving out reality and is composed by structures of knowledge that influences systems of practice” (Chambon, 1999). All discourses are textual and an inter-textual drawing upon other texts, contextually embedded in historical political and cultural settings. A given text also transforms in a manner that is socially constrained and conditional upon relations of power (Foucault 1979). As Bacchi (2005) urges it is possible to adopt a more comprehensive dual-focus agenda in discourse analysis, taking into account the dual movement of discourse: the way discourse speaks us and the way we speak the discourse

Nursing teachers' reflections on their own norm-critical competence

Background: Nursing education in Sweden generally lacks norm-critical perspectives, even though this could help unveil normative judgements of patients in nurses’ daily work. To pursue work-integrated learning about norm criticism for nursing teachers at a small university college in Sweden, all teachers involved in nursing education were offered the course Norm-Aware Caring. Aim: To describe how norm criticism in nursing education is constructed by nursing teachers’ discussions. Methods: After the course Norm-Aware Caring, 20 of the participating 33 nursing teachers were interviewed in five focus groups about their reflections ontheir new knowledge. The interview transcripts were analyzed on the basis of Fairclough’s discourse analysis, in which words and social practice are seen as mutually constituting each other. Results: Discursive constructions related to teaching, caring and learning were seen in the text. Norm critical teachingwas constructed as a practice of much consideration not to insult any student. Norm criticism as abasic caring valuewas closely related to person-centered care. Their own, personal learningwas expressed as fear to use their new knowledge in a wrong way. The teachers themselves considered norm-criticism as something to learn in order to improve the understanding of people who does not fit into majority norms. This perspective of tolerance was consistent in the construction of all discourses. Discussion: It appears that the teachers’ social practice is influenced by a perspective that divides the “normal” from the “deviant”. This may prevent an internalization of norm-critical knowledge, a perspective that aims to question categorizationsofnormality. Therefore, it is important to continuously scrutinize and reflect over the role of social norms as part of work-integrated learning for nursing teachers

En manual för normkritik : Handfasta råd för en levande kunskapsbildning i svensk sjuksköterskeutbildning om kvinnors våldsutsatthet

Det nya lärandemålet i sjuksköterskeutbildningen innebär att studenter ska visa kunskap om mäns våld mot kvinnor och våld i nära relationer. Målet illustrerar behovet av att medvetandegöra och problematisera normer kring kön, makt och relationer. Med utgångspunkt i erfarenheter från Högskolan Väst föreslår vi i denna artikel normkritik som ett arbetssätt i utbildningen och formulerar handfasta råd. Undervisning om normer och makt kan förflyttas från att vara en perifer fråga driven av eldsjälar till gemensamt kollegialt ansvar med en central placering i varje kurs. Råden kan användas av ledare och lärare som vill erbjuda en sjuksköterskeutbildning där studenters förmåga att fråga, agera och ge våldsutsatta kvinnor en röst är ett centralt inslag

Spatial isolation and health during the Covid-19 pandemic : A critical discourse analysis

Highlights •People's places and spaces during isolation were polarized. •Weak socioeconomic groups were voiceless in the Swedish press. •An analysis based on the ethics of justice and care is presented. •The hegemonic discourse was constructed as the Discourse of inequity.CC BY 4.0Corresponding author: Research and Development Centre, Skaraborg Hospital Skövde, Region Västra Gotaland, Sweden. E-mail address: [email protected] (F. Sundberg).This work was supported by funding from the Nordic College of Caring Science (NCCS https://www.nccs.nu/). </p

En manual för normkritik : Handfasta råd för en levande kunskapsbildning i svensk sjuksköterskeutbildning om kvinnors våldsutsatthet

Det nya lärandemålet i sjuksköterskeutbildningen innebär att studenter ska visa kunskap om mäns våld mot kvinnor och våld i nära relationer. Målet illustrerar behovet av att medvetandegöra och problematisera normer kring kön, makt och relationer. Med utgångspunkt i erfarenheter från Högskolan Väst föreslår vi i denna artikel normkritik som ett arbetssätt i utbildningen och formulerar handfasta råd. Undervisning om normer och makt kan förflyttas från att vara en perifer fråga driven av eldsjälar till gemensamt kollegialt ansvar med en central placering i varje kurs. Råden kan användas av ledare och lärare som vill erbjuda en sjuksköterskeutbildning där studenters förmåga att fråga, agera och ge våldsutsatta kvinnor en röst är ett centralt inslag

En manual för normkritik : Handfasta råd för en levande kunskapsbildning i svensk sjuksköterskeutbildning om kvinnors våldsutsatthet

Det nya lärandemålet i sjuksköterskeutbildningen innebär att studenter ska visa kunskap om mäns våld mot kvinnor och våld i nära relationer. Målet illustrerar behovet av att medvetandegöra och problematisera normer kring kön, makt och relationer. Med utgångspunkt i erfarenheter från Högskolan Väst föreslår vi i denna artikel normkritik som ett arbetssätt i utbildningen och formulerar handfasta råd. Undervisning om normer och makt kan förflyttas från att vara en perifer fråga driven av eldsjälar till gemensamt kollegialt ansvar med en central placering i varje kurs. Råden kan användas av ledare och lärare som vill erbjuda en sjuksköterskeutbildning där studenters förmåga att fråga, agera och ge våldsutsatta kvinnor en röst är ett centralt inslag

The reasonable patient : A Swedish discursive construction

The aim of this study was to analyse how the patient is constructed and socially positioned in Swedish patient information. Corpus-assisted critical discourse analysis methodology was utilised on a sample of 56 online patient information texts about cancer containing a total of 126,711 words. The findings show an overarching discourse of informed consent guided by specific features to produce a patient norm that we name “the reasonable patient”, who is receptive to arguments, emotionally restrained and makes decisions based on information. Through the discourse of informed consent, the norm of the reasonable patient emerges, apparently to even out the imbalance of power between patient and professional, but in reality, more likely to construct a patient who is easily controlled and managed. When the self-responsibility towards health is incorporated into the everyday domestic spaces via digital health technologies, the ideas and concepts of the patient role need to be reconsidered based on these new conditions. We conclude that it is important for nursing researchers to broaden the research on patients to include the relationship of power created through language. This study demonstrates both methodological and empirical possibilities to do s

Encircling discourses : A guide to critical discourse analysis in caring science

Aim The aim of this article was to introduce Fairclough's critical discourse analysis (CDA) in caring and nursing science, to provide a guide on how to perform such an analysis, and to describe the wider context of discourse epistemology. Design The article is designed as a methodological paper, including (a) epistemological roots of discourse analysis, (b) an overview of discourse analytical research within caring and nursing science which points out an increased trend, and (c) a guide to conducting a CDA. Analysis It is important that discourse analysis is available and accessible to nursing and caring researchers. Through the process of encircling discourses, valuable insight is given into fields that otherwise would be lost or would not be available. Conclusion Our summary stance is that discourse analysis as it is presented in this article is strongly advisable for use in nursing and caring sciences.CC BY</p