A theoretical approach to documentation of care
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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Oili Kärkkäinen1, Katie Eriksson
1Development Manager, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract:
The purpose of this column is to present a theoretical background for understanding nursing care documentation. The theory used was Eriksson's theory of health and suffering. An adaptation of Gadamer's hermenuetic method was used to apply the theory to a way of thinking about clinical practice. The hermeneutic dialogue took place between Eriksson's caring science texts and clinical nursing practice. The dialogue shows that relating different dimensions of the patient's health and suffering to the dimensions of care seems to provide the necessary prerequisites for the development of a theoretical background for the documentation of care. It also allows the patient's views and experiences to be revealed in the documents related to nursing care.
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