El reto de investigar en enfermería: una reflexión sobre las universidades españolas y el contexto internacional

[Difficulties and opportunities for research as perceived by nurses in Asturias (Spain)]

OBJECTIVE

To identify, through communicative consensus, the difficulties and opportunities for research perceived by nurses in Asturias (Spain).

METHOD

The Regional Ministry of Health and the Health Service of Asturias made an open call and 80 nurses from all fields (clinical, teaching, and management) were assigned to 10 groups. Using a nominal group technique, these nurses identified and prioritized the difficulties and opportunities they perceived for research. Through independent pairs, the research group analyzed the content of the contributions made.

RESULTS

In order of priority, the difficulties perceived were related to training deficit, lack of resources, lack of available time, little acknowledgement and support, and professional idiosyncrasy and sociology. The opportunities perceived were grouped into training opportunities, material resources -when known to exist-, support from experts, access to information resources, the existence of financial support, and time available when working in primary care.

CONCLUSIONS

The nurses identified the difficulties and opportunities that should be taken into account if strategies to stimulate nursing research are to be established. The situation should continue to be analyzed in order to provide possible solutions to the difficulties encountered, especially those related to professional idiosyncrasy and sociology.

[Chilean's nursing knowledge organization and their tendencies]

A Quantitative, descriptive and retrospective research that explored the Chilean Nursing knowledge organization an their tendencies. The universe was composed by scientists reports published in the Chilean nursing journals between 1965 and 2003 (N=214). Data were collected by an instrument based on the CIPE's and Nogueira's classification and cienciometría indications. Statistics measures of central tendency analysis was managed with SPSS. Some of the results obtained were: the more frequent study subject's was the professional nursing and the tendency is to be focused at the mature people's health necessities and their risk of being ill. It was found: little theoretical nursing sustenance at the reports. The "Ciencia y Enfermería" is the journal that exhibits the best scientific quality of alls.

Nursing as means of governmentality

BACKGROUND

This paper conceptualizes nursing as a health profession in transformation at the beginning of the 21st century. We frame our analysis using Michel Foucault's concept of governmentality. While extensively quoted and used in other disciplines, the work of the late French philosopher has been cited infrequently in the nursing literature. Yet a closer look at his work reveals how Foucault offers a relevant entry point for revisiting nursing theory and nursing practice.

AIM OF THE PAPER

aim of this paper is to reflect on nursing practice as it is inscribed within the state's modus operandi. We discuss the prevalent notion that nurses are powerless and suggest they do exercise power in many ways and that they are a powerful group.

RESULTS

In this paper we show how nursing is a means of governmentality of individuals and of the population because its practices contribute to the management of society through a vast range of power techniques. These techniques range from disciplining individuals to promoting discourses that construct desirable subjectivities. Within this perspective, the emergence of political aspects of nursing theory and nursing practice are made explicit.

CONCLUSION

We explore the limits and potentials of the concept of governmentality to the understanding of nursing as a health profession. This concept can generate a form of critical immobilism, but also promotes a more politically complex understanding of nursing practice.