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A hermeneutic study of the concept of ‘focusing’ in critical care nursing practice
Author(s) -
Walters Allan John
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
nursing inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.66
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1440-1800
pISSN - 1320-7881
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1800.1994.tb00120.x
Subject(s) - lifeworld , nursing , hermeneutic phenomenology , phenomenology (philosophy) , hermeneutics , interpretation (philosophy) , medicine , psychology , lived experience , psychotherapist , epistemology , philosophy , linguistics
A phenomenological hermeneutic study of the lifeworld of critical care nursing was undertaken, from which emerged the concept of ‘focusing’. Focusing is defined as empathizing concern for the critically ill person and his/her family amid the high technology of the intensive care unit. When nurses focus on the patient and the patient's family they are able to empathize with die personal dimensions of caring. The study used a phenomenological hermeneutic approach to describe die nature of the lived experience of clinical nursing practice in a high technology environment.