The article presents the developing of a tool aimed to analyze the decision-making (DM) processes in critical care contexts. It was developed in a study conducted through a phenomenological approach. By analyzing the discursive practice through which physicians in an intensive care unit (ICU) arrive at decisions, we construct a discursive profile of each ICU […]
This article focuses on the constitutive role of space and artefacts in delineating the moral order of a specific context. Building on the premises of a post-humanistic phenomenology, it proposes a theoretical contribution to a critical understanding of communication as a complex phenomenon distributed between human and non-human semiotic agents. Drawing on ethnographic research in […]
Aim. Research focusing on competence assessment of practicing nurses has recently increased. However, few generic instruments are available for this purpose. This study reports cultural validation of the Italian version of the Nurse Competence Scale (NCS, English version) by exploring nurses’ perceptions of the use of the NCS instrument. Metods. Content validity of the Italian […]
Purpose: in this article, we contribute to the debate on medication compliance by exploring the conversational “technologies” entailed in the process of promoting clients’ adherence to psychopharmacological prescriptions. Using a case study approach, we explore how medication-related problems are dealt with in conversational interaction between the staff members and the clients of a mental health […]
Is evidence based medicine the best alternative in dealing with patients? Analyzing a question about medicine through an epistemological and hermeneutical approach to the paper comes to an ethical answer. Patients are studied by clinicians as objects of a diagnostic investigation, while they are the subjects living their life and enduring illnesses. The paper argues […]
An intensive care unit (ICU) is a demanding environment, defined by significant complexity, in which physicians must make decisions in situations characterized by high levels of uncertainty. This study used a phenomenological approach to investigate the decision-making (DM) processes among ICU physicians’ team with the aim of understanding what happens when ICU physicians must reach […]
Just as in many countries all over the world, the number of older people in Italy has increased rapidly. Consequently, an increasing number of nurses are engaged in the care of older patients. However, due to a lack of understanding of how nurses and patients perceive caring, nursing care may be compromised. The aim of […]