Visible and invisible caring in nursing from the perspectives of patients and nurses in the
gerontological context
Sammanfattning
Aim
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 this study is to explore, describe and compare the perceptions of
gerontological nurses and patients related to the dimensions of caring in nursing in an Italian
hospital setting.
Methods
In this qualitative descriptive study, a variety of analytic techniques were used to analyse semi-
structured interview data from a purposeful sample of 20 nurses and 20 patients from geriatric units
in two different Italian hospitals.
Findings
Although both nurses and patients gave rich descriptions of caring experiences, patients described
features of caring in nursing that were visible (including nurses' caring gestures, giving attention and
being competent) while nurses predominantly emphasised aspects of caring that were relatively
invisible (such as reflecting on the patient's past needs, evaluating the nursing care rendered,
planning for more appropriate future nursing care, taking multiple complex contextual factors into
account to protect the patient and being competent).
Conclusion
Our data revealed more nuanced insight into the meaning of invisible and visible caring in nursing
within the gerontological context than has been previously reported in the literature. This has
implications for nursing education and practice because it may help nurses meet the actual needs of
older patients in hospital settings.
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons.