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'Effective' Australian gerontology nurses: a repertory grid analysis
1Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
Journal of Clinical Nursing
|July 1, 1997
Summary
Gerontological nurses highly value caring, compassion, and empathy. While nurses perceive themselves as effective, improvements are needed in gerontological nursing practice to enhance its perception.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Nursing
Background:
- Gerontological nursing is a specialized field.
- Understanding the perceptions of nurses within this field is crucial for practice improvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the personal constructs gerontological nurses use to define themselves and effective practice.
- To assess self-perceptions of effectiveness among gerontological nurses.
Main Methods:
- Repertory grids were administered to 60 gerontological nurses.
- Analysis included pooled and cluster analysis of the repertory grids.
Main Results:
- The personal construct 'caring, compassionate, empathetic' was identified as most characteristic of gerontological nurses.
- No significant difference was found between self-perceptions of effectiveness and ideal self-perceptions.
- Several aspects of gerontological nursing require improvement to alter negative perceptions.
Conclusions:
- Caring, compassion, and empathy are central to gerontological nursing identity.
- While nurses feel effective, the field faces perception challenges.
- Targeted improvements are necessary to elevate the status of gerontological nursing.