Client education experiences in professional nursing practice--a phenomenological perspective

This paper reports a small-scale phenomenological study of registered nurses' experiences with their client education role. Its purpose was to investigate phenomena associated with actual experiences as they were encountered by participants. A review of the literature provides an overview of client education in terms of its definition and utility, and draws attention to the notion of compliance and the influence of power in health provider-client relationships. Phenomenology offers an appropriate methodological framework for investigating symbolic experiences, and three central concepts are yielded from aggregate data in the form of confirming experiences, disconfirming experiences and educational processes. Findings indicate that nurses' value the uniqueness of the client and, where possible, tend to initiate educational processes that actually empower individuals. However, disconfirming experiences are associated with demands on nurses' work schedules, low client motivation and non-compliance. Physician interjection is also perceived as problematical, resulting in feelings which undermine the nurses' professional integrity, and which lead to a diminished sense of self-worth.