Kathleen Galvin | Bournemouth University (original) (raw)
Papers by Kathleen Galvin
Intensive and Critical …, Jan 1, 1999
This paper reports on a small research study that explored the perceptions of staff in an intensi... more This paper reports on a small research study that explored the perceptions of staff in an intensive/coronary/high-dependency care unit on the expanded role of nurses in critical care. The research was undertaken in two phases.
Journal of …, Jan 1, 1999
Investigating and implementing change within the primary health care nursing team Primary care is... more Investigating and implementing change within the primary health care nursing team Primary care is developing rapidly with signi®cant impacts on the nursing team. Such changes have brought inter-professional team-working into sharper focus, particularly community care and collaborative working. This paper: examines the nursing roles within a general practice; describes the perspectives of service users; identi®es areas of change; clari®es core and specialist skills; de®nes new roles among the primary health care nursing team; proposes a new model of working; and identi®es appropriate education. The project was set in a general practice in south-west England and used an action research methodology. The objectives were to create a change in practice and to develop and re®ne existing theory to underpin nursing roles. Throughout the research regular team meetings allowed re¯ection and discussion about research ®ndings and progress. Data were collected from multiple sources, including team workshops, patient focus group interviews, and individual interviews with GPs, practice managers and area managers. Re¯ective diaries and a patient survey were also used. The analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data collected from patients formed a basis for practice development and facilitated the team's re¯ection on the areas of change. Overall high satisfaction with services and care was expressed in the patient interviews and the questionnaire. The themes from the data highlighted areas important for patients and helped in shaping the new roles and responsibilities for team members. Regarding the team perspective, the data indicated many areas that could be considered for development. The community nursing team decided to concentrate on three key areas: child health, leg ulcer management, and cardiovascular health. The research concludes that action research presents some problems and challenges but is a useful approach to developing team-working in primary health care.
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, Jan 1, 2007
In this paper, we describe the value and philosophy of lifeworld-led care. Our purpose is to give... more In this paper, we describe the value and philosophy of lifeworld-led care. Our purpose is to give a philosophically coherent foundation for lifeworld-led care and its core value as a humanising force that moderates technological progress. We begin by indicating the timeliness of these concerns within the current context of citizen-oriented, participative approaches to healthcare. We believe that this context is in need of a deepening philosophy if it is not to succumb to the discourses of mere consumerism. We thus revisit the potential of Husserl's notion of the lifeworld and how lifeworld-led care could provide important ideas and values that are central to the humanisation of healthcare practice. This framework provides a synthesis of the main arguments of the paper and is finally expressed in a model of lifeworld-led care that includes its core value, core perspectives, relevant indicative methodologies and main benefits. The model is offered as a potentially broad-based approach for integrating many existing practices and trends. In the spirit of Husserl's interest in both commonality and variation, we highlight the central, less contestable foundations of lifeworld-led care, without constraining the possible varieties of confluent practices.
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, Jan 1, 2009
In this paper we offer an appreciation and critique of patient-led care as expressed in current p... more In this paper we offer an appreciation and critique of patient-led care as expressed in current policy and practice. We argue that current patient-led approaches hinder a focus on a deeper understanding of what patient-led care could be. Our critique focuses on how the consumerist/citizenship emphasis in current patient-led care obscures attention from a more fundamental challenge to conceptualise an alternative philosophically informed framework from where care can be led. We thus present an alternative interpretation of patient-led care that we call 'lifeworld-led care', and argue that such lifeworld-led care is more than the general understanding of patient-led care. Although the philosophical roots of our alternative conceptualisation are not new, we believe that it is timely to re-consider some of the implications of these perspectives within current discourses of patient-centred policies and practice. The conceptualisation of lifeworld-led care that we develop includes an articulation of three dimensions: a philosophy of the person, a view of well-being and not just illness, and a philosophy of care that is consistent with this. We conclude that the existential view of well-being that we offer is pivotal to lifeworld-led care in that it provides a direction for care and practice that is intrinsically and positively health focused in its broadest and most substantial sense.
Health & social care in the …, Jan 1, 2000
A number of Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) have entered into partnerships with Health Authorities ... more A number of Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) have entered into partnerships with Health Authorities in order to provide advice in general practice surgeries as part of the health care services offered by the primary health care team. This illuminative evaluation has involved an exploration of the impacts of the service from the perspective of its users, the CAB advisers and the referral agents. Data was collected from questionnaires, individual interviews and focus group interviews from participants in both a rural and urban setting. The findings of the study suggest that locating CAB advisers in GP surgeries facilitates access for people who would otherwise be effectively excluded by reason of age, poor health, poverty or lack of transport. Overall, consultations with the CAB advisers were perceived very positively. This study would suggest that Citizens Advice Bureaux in GP surgeries are a viable and useful adjunct to primary health care teams in terms of information-giving, social support, up-take of benefits and co-ordination of services.
Qualitative Research, Jan 1, 2008
Page 1. http://qrj.sagepub.com/ Qualitative Research http://qrj.sagepub.com/content/ 8/5/568 The ... more Page 1. http://qrj.sagepub.com/ Qualitative Research http://qrj.sagepub.com/content/ 8/5/568 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/ 1468794108094866 2008 8: 568 Qualitative Research Les Todres and ...
Scandinavian Journal of …, Jan 1, 2005
Journal of clinical nursing, Jan 1, 2002
This paper describes an action research study in a community setting.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, Jan 1, 1992
• There are a number of health behaviour models and theories available to nurses which have been ... more • There are a number of health behaviour models and theories available to nurses which have been developed to explain and predict health behaviour. Of particular interest to nurses in recent years is the 'health belief model' which has been the most widely used.
… Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health …, Jan 1, 2006
In this article, a phenomenological study, we aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of cari... more In this article, a phenomenological study, we aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of caring for a partner with advancing memory loss. Our particular concern is to communicate the findings in evocative and empathic ways. Such an approach is based on a wish to complement the phenomenological rigor of Giorgi's ''scientific concern'' with a ''communicative concern.'' We draw attention to the aesthetic dimensions of phenomenological description to achieve both ''structure'' and ''texture'' in the way findings are communicated. The methodology is thus complemented by a further interpretive phase after presentation of each of six general structures, and characterized as 'embodied interpretation'. This discipline is based on Gendlin's experiential phenomenology and the practice of ''focusing.'' We suggest that by engaging with the kind of descriptions and interpretations offered, fellow carers, professionals, family and support groups could be better equipped to understand the issues discussed.
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health …, Jan 1, 2007
Various manifestations of the arts have been employed in mental health care as successful diversi... more Various manifestations of the arts have been employed in mental health care as successful diversional and therapeutic interventions, and as an adjunct to mental healthcare professional education. There is now a current groundswell of the use of the arts and humanities in both the practice of research and the representation and dissemination of findings. Here, we first point to the potential ability of the arts that can be used to re-humanize the world of health and social care and its underpinning sciences. Second, we highlight the nature and relevance of this more aesthetic movement and its potential to enable meaningful engagement with people in order to facilitate shared understandings of concretely lived experiences. Finally, we use a long-standing philosophical framework, the 'lifeworld', as an exemplar to demonstrate how the wholeness and essence of human being can be revealed or shown through art. In doing so, we make the tentative suggestion that phenomenology and the lifeworld approach may be a useful philosophical framework for underpinning the use of arts in mental health nursing.
Nurse Education in Practice, Jan 1, 2003
The need for new innovations in nurse education is clear. Ways to help nursing students learn to ... more The need for new innovations in nurse education is clear. Ways to help nursing students learn to reflect that can be used once qualified are being experimented with. The use of reflective practice as a learning tool for education is growing. Action learning groups (ALGs) help nurses reflect on their own personal development and the sharing of that development. Focus groups were used to examine students' perspectives on ALGs and the influence on their education. Students saw ALGs as a vital part of their course. Although the functioning of the group was dependent upon the lecturer's abilities and the dynamics of the group in general, ALGs were perceived by the majority of the students as an important component of their training. ALGs were seen as the common factor throughout the course and as the mechanism that linked theory to practice.
Health policy, Jan 1, 2002
In the United Kingdom the election of the 1997-2001 Labour government led to rapid development of... more In the United Kingdom the election of the 1997-2001 Labour government led to rapid development of drug treatment interventions in the criminal justice sector. One type of drug treatment intervention is arrest referral and this is the most developed and researched form of intervention within the United Kingdom (Arrest referral: emerging lessons from research, paper 23. London: Home Office; 1998). However, much of the published literature reports upon evaluations of working styles and practices of individual arrest referral schemes (ARS). This paper reports a follow-up study on the impact that intervention by an ARS had upon a group of drug-misusing arrestees, 18 months after their initial contact with the ARS. The findings from the follow-up study demonstrate that the intervention had had a positive impact on both drug misuse and offending among the sample. Sixty-four per cent had entered treatment and remained 'clean' following an intervention by the ARS. Analysis of the police national computer records for the sample demonstrated that 88% of those who remained 'clean' also ceased criminal activity. Additionally, the study highlighted other factors relevant to the treatment of drug misusers. Most of the sample had been in contact with health professionals during their misusing careers but the perceived negative attitude on the part of health professionals towards drug misusers and the lack of proactive, health-led interventions indicated that mainstream health care provision had failed this sample of problematic drug misusers. Another key factor to emerge from the study was the relevance of aftercare to the recovery process, which was needed to offer wide-ranging support to drug misusers in recovery, such as help with accommodation, learning basic life skills and constructing a new lifestyle without drugs. The study therefore has a dual outcome in demonstrating the positive impact of the ARS and in turn the rationale for the Government's 10-year anti-drugs strategy but it also highlights the weakness as aftercare is not a prominent feature of the strategy (Tackling drugs to build a better Britain, the government's ten year strategy for tackling drugs. London: The Stationery Office; 1998).
International journal of nursing studies, Jan 1, 2001
This study evaluated the impact of a nurse-led health education programme on the behaviour, nicot... more This study evaluated the impact of a nurse-led health education programme on the behaviour, nicotine dependence and nicotine withdrawal in patients who smoke and suer from peripheral vascular disease, based in a large teaching hospital in the north of England. Smoking behaviour was measured by self report, end-expired carbon monoxide and urinary cotinine. Nicotine dependence and withdrawal were measured using a nicotine dependence scale and a nicotine withdrawal scale. The ®ndings demonstrated that the programme did have some impact on behaviour. The study raised issues concerning the measurement of physiological markers for smoking as nursing outcomes. Issues about the measurement of nicotine dependence and withdrawal are highlighted. 7
Phenomenology & Practice, Jan 1, 2007
Within the context of health and social care education, attempts to define 'scholarship' have inc... more Within the context of health and social care education, attempts to define 'scholarship' have increasingly transcended traditional academic conceptions of the term. While acknowledging that many applied disciplines call for a kind of 'actionable knowledge' that is also not separate from its ethical dimensions, engagement in the caring professions in particular provides an interesting exemplar that raises questions about the nature and practice of 'actionable knowledge:' how is such knowledge from different domains (the head, hand and heart) integrated and sustained? This paper is theoretical and wishes to outline some philosophical ideas that may be important when considering the characteristics of the kind of scholarship for caring practices that draw on deep resources for creativity and integration. Firstly, there is an attempt to clarify the nature of scholarly practice by drawing on Aristotle's notion of 'phronesis' (practical wisdom). Secondly, a more meditative approach to the integration of knowledge, action and ethics is highlighted. Finally, its implications for scholarship are introduced, in which scholarly integration may best be served by more contemplative ways of being and thinking. Drawing on Heidegger and Gendlin, we consider the challenges of contemplative thinking for pursuing scholarly practice. We articulate contemplative thinking as an unspecialized mode of being that is given to human beings as an intimate source of creativity. The sense in which unspecialization can be cultivated and practiced is discussed.
International Journal of …, Jan 1, 2009
Qualitative research, through its illumination of people's perspectives and experiences, has cont... more Qualitative research, through its illumination of people's perspectives and experiences, has contributed a particular kind of useful evidence for caring practices. Until now however, it has found its location in healthcare without making the powerful impact on humanizing practice that is its key strength. Our paper develops a conceptual framework for humanizing care, and through examples illustrates an emerging agenda that moves qualitative research into its next and overdue phase: to enter policy-making; curricula in professional education; and to be meaningfully translated into practice in ways that place people as human beings at the centre of care. This paper provides eight philosophically informed dimensions of humanization, which together, form a framework that constitutes a comprehensive value base for considering both the potentially humanizing and dehumanizing elements in caring systems and interactions. In each case, we show, with reference to published studies, how qualitative research findings are already consistent with the humanizing focus articulated in our conceptual framework. We finally describe a reciprocal relationship in which the humanizing value framework guides a dedicated focus for qualitative research, and in which qualitative research in its turn, supports the humanising emphasis because of its intrinsic features.
International Journal of …, Jan 1, 2008
In this article, the authors explore the methodological and epistemological tensions between brea... more In this article, the authors explore the methodological and epistemological tensions between breadth and depth with reference to a study into the experience of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease. They consider the benefits and limitations of each of two phases of the study: a generic qualitative study of narrative breadth and a descriptive phenomenological study of lifeworld depth into selected phenomena. The article concludes with a reflection on the kinds of distinctive knowledge generated by each of these two phases and the benefits of their complementary relationship with one another.
Intensive and Critical …, Jan 1, 1999
This paper reports on a small research study that explored the perceptions of staff in an intensi... more This paper reports on a small research study that explored the perceptions of staff in an intensive/coronary/high-dependency care unit on the expanded role of nurses in critical care. The research was undertaken in two phases.
Journal of …, Jan 1, 1999
Investigating and implementing change within the primary health care nursing team Primary care is... more Investigating and implementing change within the primary health care nursing team Primary care is developing rapidly with signi®cant impacts on the nursing team. Such changes have brought inter-professional team-working into sharper focus, particularly community care and collaborative working. This paper: examines the nursing roles within a general practice; describes the perspectives of service users; identi®es areas of change; clari®es core and specialist skills; de®nes new roles among the primary health care nursing team; proposes a new model of working; and identi®es appropriate education. The project was set in a general practice in south-west England and used an action research methodology. The objectives were to create a change in practice and to develop and re®ne existing theory to underpin nursing roles. Throughout the research regular team meetings allowed re¯ection and discussion about research ®ndings and progress. Data were collected from multiple sources, including team workshops, patient focus group interviews, and individual interviews with GPs, practice managers and area managers. Re¯ective diaries and a patient survey were also used. The analysis of the quantitative and qualitative data collected from patients formed a basis for practice development and facilitated the team's re¯ection on the areas of change. Overall high satisfaction with services and care was expressed in the patient interviews and the questionnaire. The themes from the data highlighted areas important for patients and helped in shaping the new roles and responsibilities for team members. Regarding the team perspective, the data indicated many areas that could be considered for development. The community nursing team decided to concentrate on three key areas: child health, leg ulcer management, and cardiovascular health. The research concludes that action research presents some problems and challenges but is a useful approach to developing team-working in primary health care.
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, Jan 1, 2007
In this paper, we describe the value and philosophy of lifeworld-led care. Our purpose is to give... more In this paper, we describe the value and philosophy of lifeworld-led care. Our purpose is to give a philosophically coherent foundation for lifeworld-led care and its core value as a humanising force that moderates technological progress. We begin by indicating the timeliness of these concerns within the current context of citizen-oriented, participative approaches to healthcare. We believe that this context is in need of a deepening philosophy if it is not to succumb to the discourses of mere consumerism. We thus revisit the potential of Husserl's notion of the lifeworld and how lifeworld-led care could provide important ideas and values that are central to the humanisation of healthcare practice. This framework provides a synthesis of the main arguments of the paper and is finally expressed in a model of lifeworld-led care that includes its core value, core perspectives, relevant indicative methodologies and main benefits. The model is offered as a potentially broad-based approach for integrating many existing practices and trends. In the spirit of Husserl's interest in both commonality and variation, we highlight the central, less contestable foundations of lifeworld-led care, without constraining the possible varieties of confluent practices.
Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, Jan 1, 2009
In this paper we offer an appreciation and critique of patient-led care as expressed in current p... more In this paper we offer an appreciation and critique of patient-led care as expressed in current policy and practice. We argue that current patient-led approaches hinder a focus on a deeper understanding of what patient-led care could be. Our critique focuses on how the consumerist/citizenship emphasis in current patient-led care obscures attention from a more fundamental challenge to conceptualise an alternative philosophically informed framework from where care can be led. We thus present an alternative interpretation of patient-led care that we call 'lifeworld-led care', and argue that such lifeworld-led care is more than the general understanding of patient-led care. Although the philosophical roots of our alternative conceptualisation are not new, we believe that it is timely to re-consider some of the implications of these perspectives within current discourses of patient-centred policies and practice. The conceptualisation of lifeworld-led care that we develop includes an articulation of three dimensions: a philosophy of the person, a view of well-being and not just illness, and a philosophy of care that is consistent with this. We conclude that the existential view of well-being that we offer is pivotal to lifeworld-led care in that it provides a direction for care and practice that is intrinsically and positively health focused in its broadest and most substantial sense.
Health & social care in the …, Jan 1, 2000
A number of Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) have entered into partnerships with Health Authorities ... more A number of Citizens Advice Bureaux (CAB) have entered into partnerships with Health Authorities in order to provide advice in general practice surgeries as part of the health care services offered by the primary health care team. This illuminative evaluation has involved an exploration of the impacts of the service from the perspective of its users, the CAB advisers and the referral agents. Data was collected from questionnaires, individual interviews and focus group interviews from participants in both a rural and urban setting. The findings of the study suggest that locating CAB advisers in GP surgeries facilitates access for people who would otherwise be effectively excluded by reason of age, poor health, poverty or lack of transport. Overall, consultations with the CAB advisers were perceived very positively. This study would suggest that Citizens Advice Bureaux in GP surgeries are a viable and useful adjunct to primary health care teams in terms of information-giving, social support, up-take of benefits and co-ordination of services.
Qualitative Research, Jan 1, 2008
Page 1. http://qrj.sagepub.com/ Qualitative Research http://qrj.sagepub.com/content/ 8/5/568 The ... more Page 1. http://qrj.sagepub.com/ Qualitative Research http://qrj.sagepub.com/content/ 8/5/568 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/ 1468794108094866 2008 8: 568 Qualitative Research Les Todres and ...
Scandinavian Journal of …, Jan 1, 2005
Journal of clinical nursing, Jan 1, 2002
This paper describes an action research study in a community setting.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, Jan 1, 1992
• There are a number of health behaviour models and theories available to nurses which have been ... more • There are a number of health behaviour models and theories available to nurses which have been developed to explain and predict health behaviour. Of particular interest to nurses in recent years is the 'health belief model' which has been the most widely used.
… Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health …, Jan 1, 2006
In this article, a phenomenological study, we aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of cari... more In this article, a phenomenological study, we aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of caring for a partner with advancing memory loss. Our particular concern is to communicate the findings in evocative and empathic ways. Such an approach is based on a wish to complement the phenomenological rigor of Giorgi's ''scientific concern'' with a ''communicative concern.'' We draw attention to the aesthetic dimensions of phenomenological description to achieve both ''structure'' and ''texture'' in the way findings are communicated. The methodology is thus complemented by a further interpretive phase after presentation of each of six general structures, and characterized as 'embodied interpretation'. This discipline is based on Gendlin's experiential phenomenology and the practice of ''focusing.'' We suggest that by engaging with the kind of descriptions and interpretations offered, fellow carers, professionals, family and support groups could be better equipped to understand the issues discussed.
Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health …, Jan 1, 2007
Various manifestations of the arts have been employed in mental health care as successful diversi... more Various manifestations of the arts have been employed in mental health care as successful diversional and therapeutic interventions, and as an adjunct to mental healthcare professional education. There is now a current groundswell of the use of the arts and humanities in both the practice of research and the representation and dissemination of findings. Here, we first point to the potential ability of the arts that can be used to re-humanize the world of health and social care and its underpinning sciences. Second, we highlight the nature and relevance of this more aesthetic movement and its potential to enable meaningful engagement with people in order to facilitate shared understandings of concretely lived experiences. Finally, we use a long-standing philosophical framework, the 'lifeworld', as an exemplar to demonstrate how the wholeness and essence of human being can be revealed or shown through art. In doing so, we make the tentative suggestion that phenomenology and the lifeworld approach may be a useful philosophical framework for underpinning the use of arts in mental health nursing.
Nurse Education in Practice, Jan 1, 2003
The need for new innovations in nurse education is clear. Ways to help nursing students learn to ... more The need for new innovations in nurse education is clear. Ways to help nursing students learn to reflect that can be used once qualified are being experimented with. The use of reflective practice as a learning tool for education is growing. Action learning groups (ALGs) help nurses reflect on their own personal development and the sharing of that development. Focus groups were used to examine students' perspectives on ALGs and the influence on their education. Students saw ALGs as a vital part of their course. Although the functioning of the group was dependent upon the lecturer's abilities and the dynamics of the group in general, ALGs were perceived by the majority of the students as an important component of their training. ALGs were seen as the common factor throughout the course and as the mechanism that linked theory to practice.
Health policy, Jan 1, 2002
In the United Kingdom the election of the 1997-2001 Labour government led to rapid development of... more In the United Kingdom the election of the 1997-2001 Labour government led to rapid development of drug treatment interventions in the criminal justice sector. One type of drug treatment intervention is arrest referral and this is the most developed and researched form of intervention within the United Kingdom (Arrest referral: emerging lessons from research, paper 23. London: Home Office; 1998). However, much of the published literature reports upon evaluations of working styles and practices of individual arrest referral schemes (ARS). This paper reports a follow-up study on the impact that intervention by an ARS had upon a group of drug-misusing arrestees, 18 months after their initial contact with the ARS. The findings from the follow-up study demonstrate that the intervention had had a positive impact on both drug misuse and offending among the sample. Sixty-four per cent had entered treatment and remained 'clean' following an intervention by the ARS. Analysis of the police national computer records for the sample demonstrated that 88% of those who remained 'clean' also ceased criminal activity. Additionally, the study highlighted other factors relevant to the treatment of drug misusers. Most of the sample had been in contact with health professionals during their misusing careers but the perceived negative attitude on the part of health professionals towards drug misusers and the lack of proactive, health-led interventions indicated that mainstream health care provision had failed this sample of problematic drug misusers. Another key factor to emerge from the study was the relevance of aftercare to the recovery process, which was needed to offer wide-ranging support to drug misusers in recovery, such as help with accommodation, learning basic life skills and constructing a new lifestyle without drugs. The study therefore has a dual outcome in demonstrating the positive impact of the ARS and in turn the rationale for the Government's 10-year anti-drugs strategy but it also highlights the weakness as aftercare is not a prominent feature of the strategy (Tackling drugs to build a better Britain, the government's ten year strategy for tackling drugs. London: The Stationery Office; 1998).
International journal of nursing studies, Jan 1, 2001
This study evaluated the impact of a nurse-led health education programme on the behaviour, nicot... more This study evaluated the impact of a nurse-led health education programme on the behaviour, nicotine dependence and nicotine withdrawal in patients who smoke and suer from peripheral vascular disease, based in a large teaching hospital in the north of England. Smoking behaviour was measured by self report, end-expired carbon monoxide and urinary cotinine. Nicotine dependence and withdrawal were measured using a nicotine dependence scale and a nicotine withdrawal scale. The ®ndings demonstrated that the programme did have some impact on behaviour. The study raised issues concerning the measurement of physiological markers for smoking as nursing outcomes. Issues about the measurement of nicotine dependence and withdrawal are highlighted. 7
Phenomenology & Practice, Jan 1, 2007
Within the context of health and social care education, attempts to define 'scholarship' have inc... more Within the context of health and social care education, attempts to define 'scholarship' have increasingly transcended traditional academic conceptions of the term. While acknowledging that many applied disciplines call for a kind of 'actionable knowledge' that is also not separate from its ethical dimensions, engagement in the caring professions in particular provides an interesting exemplar that raises questions about the nature and practice of 'actionable knowledge:' how is such knowledge from different domains (the head, hand and heart) integrated and sustained? This paper is theoretical and wishes to outline some philosophical ideas that may be important when considering the characteristics of the kind of scholarship for caring practices that draw on deep resources for creativity and integration. Firstly, there is an attempt to clarify the nature of scholarly practice by drawing on Aristotle's notion of 'phronesis' (practical wisdom). Secondly, a more meditative approach to the integration of knowledge, action and ethics is highlighted. Finally, its implications for scholarship are introduced, in which scholarly integration may best be served by more contemplative ways of being and thinking. Drawing on Heidegger and Gendlin, we consider the challenges of contemplative thinking for pursuing scholarly practice. We articulate contemplative thinking as an unspecialized mode of being that is given to human beings as an intimate source of creativity. The sense in which unspecialization can be cultivated and practiced is discussed.
International Journal of …, Jan 1, 2009
Qualitative research, through its illumination of people's perspectives and experiences, has cont... more Qualitative research, through its illumination of people's perspectives and experiences, has contributed a particular kind of useful evidence for caring practices. Until now however, it has found its location in healthcare without making the powerful impact on humanizing practice that is its key strength. Our paper develops a conceptual framework for humanizing care, and through examples illustrates an emerging agenda that moves qualitative research into its next and overdue phase: to enter policy-making; curricula in professional education; and to be meaningfully translated into practice in ways that place people as human beings at the centre of care. This paper provides eight philosophically informed dimensions of humanization, which together, form a framework that constitutes a comprehensive value base for considering both the potentially humanizing and dehumanizing elements in caring systems and interactions. In each case, we show, with reference to published studies, how qualitative research findings are already consistent with the humanizing focus articulated in our conceptual framework. We finally describe a reciprocal relationship in which the humanizing value framework guides a dedicated focus for qualitative research, and in which qualitative research in its turn, supports the humanising emphasis because of its intrinsic features.
International Journal of …, Jan 1, 2008
In this article, the authors explore the methodological and epistemological tensions between brea... more In this article, the authors explore the methodological and epistemological tensions between breadth and depth with reference to a study into the experience of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's disease. They consider the benefits and limitations of each of two phases of the study: a generic qualitative study of narrative breadth and a descriptive phenomenological study of lifeworld depth into selected phenomena. The article concludes with a reflection on the kinds of distinctive knowledge generated by each of these two phases and the benefits of their complementary relationship with one another.