Health care relationships: the chronic illness perspective

Most explanations of the relationships between health care providers and health care recipients reflect perspectives and belief systems peculiar to health care professionals. In contrast, this study combined data from two separate qualitative investigations to yield an analysis of these relationships from the perspective of family members involved with chronic illness. Relationships between health care providers and health care recipients are viewed as evolving over time through a process which has identifiable stages. The utility of such a process orientation for nurses and other health care professionals is the insight it provides into the possibilities for negotiating satisfying care.