The nursing process re-examined: enrollment and translation

Area of Science:

• Nursing Studies
• Sociology of Health
• Organizational Theory

Background:

• Traditional nursing process theories often use a 'diffusion model,' assuming best practices are assimilated and implemented.
• Implementation challenges are frequently attributed to resources, training, or context.
• This perspective overlooks the active role of nurses in shaping practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an alternative conceptualization of the nursing process.
• To explore the nursing process through the lens of 'enrolment' and 'translation' theories.
• To understand the nursing process as a technology and set of artifacts used by nurses for identity work.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the nursing process.
• Application of theories of 'enrolment' and 'translation' to nursing practice.
• Critique of the 'diffusion model' of practice implementation.

Main Results:

• The nursing process functions as both a technology and a set of artifacts that nurses use to manage interests and identity.
• Nurses actively 'enrol' in and are 'enrolled by' managerial and performative devices.
• This challenges the notion of nurses conforming to a pre-defined model of nursing.

Conclusions:

• The nursing process should be viewed not as a static model for conformity, but as a dynamic process of engagement.
• Nurses' organizing and identity work are intrinsically linked to their interaction with managerialist and performative devices.
• A new perspective is offered on how nursing practice is constituted and evolves.