Strengthening women's health visiting work with women

The aim of the paper is to show how life events contributed to ways in which health visitors related to women in their professional work.

Health visiting work has been labelled 'invisible' and since, 'invisibility' is an issue in feminist literature, this concept was explored in relation to health visiting.

A qualitative research design was developed, with a conceptual framework based in feminist and educational literature. Semi-structured, tape-recorded interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 35 women health visitors. A systematic approach to data analysis took place, through which key themes and analytic categories were identified.

The findings showed three levels of interaction between health visitor and client that overlapped in the working relationship. First, the public face of the work is exemplified in the planned purposes of the health visiting contact. Secondly, during this contact, health visitors may draw on their lay knowledge of 'life events', that is, their private knowledge of the situation being described by the client. Thirdly, and at the same time, health visitors manage hidden personal feelings that arise within the interaction.

The invisible private knowledge gained in life events can have a transforming effect for both health visitors and clients. However, there is no educational model which legitimizes private and personal knowledge as a resource for use by health visitors. Understanding women's own position as 'women in a gendered society' would enhance the way in which health visiting is conducted and could lead to more productive outcomes in public health work.