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Journal of Holistic Nursing
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Striving for Purity

Shared Understandings in Retired Swedish Care Providers’ Narratives on Nursing Care Around 1950

Elisabeth Lindahl, R.N.T., M.Sc

Umeå University

Fredricka Gilje, R.N., Ph.D

Pacific Lutheran University

Astrid Norberg, R.N., Ph.D

Umeå University

Caring for the sick has been important throughout all times. Nursing care has been illuminated from various perspectives. The aim of this study was to illuminate nursing care as narrated by 27 retired care providers in northern Sweden. The themes of cleanliness, order, and clear conscience stood out as important in the text. The results are interpreted as pointing to purity. Purity is a complex phenomenon within the cultural context. Some literature states that in the past, physical cleanliness, moral purity, and order were closely interrelated. Nurses were expected to be religious, morally pure persons in clean and perfect uniforms, always prepared to serve and do their duty. Purity is not always readily apparent. It is often revealed through its absence or opposite. Purity and conscience are seldom addressed in contemporary nursing research. More research is needed to further reflect on purity and its significance for nursing care today.

Key Words: purity • cleanliness • order • clear conscience • group dialogues • hermeneutics • nursing

Journal of Holistic Nursing, Vol. 22, No. 4, 333-350 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/0898010104269243
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[Abstract] [PDF]