The quality of caring relationships

Tineke A Abma, Barth Oeseburg, Guy AM Widdershoven, Marian VerkerkMedical Humanities/EMGO Institute, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsAbstract: In health care, relationships between patients or disabled persons and professionals are at least co-constitutive for the quality of care. Many...

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Main Authors: Tineke A Abma, Barth Oeseburg, Guy AM Widdershoven, Marian Verkerk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Dove Medical Press 2009-03-01
Series:Psychology Research and Behavior Management
Online Access:http://www.dovepress.com/the-quality-of-caring-relationships-a2927
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author Tineke A Abma
Barth Oeseburg
Guy AM Widdershoven
Marian Verkerk
author_facet Tineke A Abma
Barth Oeseburg
Guy AM Widdershoven
Marian Verkerk
author_sort Tineke A Abma
collection DOAJ
description Tineke A Abma, Barth Oeseburg, Guy AM Widdershoven, Marian VerkerkMedical Humanities/EMGO Institute, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsAbstract: In health care, relationships between patients or disabled persons and professionals are at least co-constitutive for the quality of care. Many patients complain about the contacts and communication with caregivers and other professionals. From a care-ethical perspective a good patient-professional relationship requires a process of negotiation and shared understanding about mutual normative expectations. Mismatches between these expectations will lead to misunderstandings or conflicts. If caregivers listen to the narratives of identity of patients, and engage in a deliberative dialogue, they will better be able to attune their care to the needs of patients. We will illustrate this with the stories of three women with multiple sclerosis. Their narratives of identity differ from the narratives that caregivers and others use to understand and identify them. Since identities give rise to normative expectations in all three cases there is a conflict between what the women expect of their caregivers and vice-versa. These stories show that the quality of care, defined as doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right person, is dependent on the quality of caring relationships.Keywords: ethics of care, dialogue, responsibilities, narratives, relationships
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spelling doaj.art-c951e352b7ac4fc19dc92a14ba26472e2022-12-21T21:09:40ZengDove Medical PressPsychology Research and Behavior Management1179-15782009-03-012009default3945The quality of caring relationshipsTineke A AbmaBarth OeseburgGuy AM WiddershovenMarian VerkerkTineke A Abma, Barth Oeseburg, Guy AM Widdershoven, Marian VerkerkMedical Humanities/EMGO Institute, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsAbstract: In health care, relationships between patients or disabled persons and professionals are at least co-constitutive for the quality of care. Many patients complain about the contacts and communication with caregivers and other professionals. From a care-ethical perspective a good patient-professional relationship requires a process of negotiation and shared understanding about mutual normative expectations. Mismatches between these expectations will lead to misunderstandings or conflicts. If caregivers listen to the narratives of identity of patients, and engage in a deliberative dialogue, they will better be able to attune their care to the needs of patients. We will illustrate this with the stories of three women with multiple sclerosis. Their narratives of identity differ from the narratives that caregivers and others use to understand and identify them. Since identities give rise to normative expectations in all three cases there is a conflict between what the women expect of their caregivers and vice-versa. These stories show that the quality of care, defined as doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right person, is dependent on the quality of caring relationships.Keywords: ethics of care, dialogue, responsibilities, narratives, relationshipshttp://www.dovepress.com/the-quality-of-caring-relationships-a2927
spellingShingle Tineke A Abma
Barth Oeseburg
Guy AM Widdershoven
Marian Verkerk
The quality of caring relationships
Psychology Research and Behavior Management
title The quality of caring relationships
title_full The quality of caring relationships
title_fullStr The quality of caring relationships
title_full_unstemmed The quality of caring relationships
title_short The quality of caring relationships
title_sort quality of caring relationships
url http://www.dovepress.com/the-quality-of-caring-relationships-a2927
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