Understanding Vulnerability. A Nursing and Healthcare Approach

Description

The notion of vulnerability is critical to person-centred and high quality nursing and healthcare practice, and underpins all nursing education. Understanding Vulnerability: a Nursing and Healthcare Approach focuses on vulnerability experienced every day by patients and clients in healthcare, and provides clear and supportive guidance to nurses and other healthcare practitioners on protecting and caring for vulnerable patients.

Taking a fresh, critical and reflective perspective that reflects current trends towards the promotion of equality and acknowledges everyone’s vulnerability, this book is essential reading for all nursing and healthcare students, as well as healthcare practitioners who are committed to providing person-centred care.

Special features:

• One of the first books to address the issue of vulnerability from a nursing and healthcare perspective
• Written by a group of experienced professionals, academics and educationalists with both educational and research expertise in the exploration of vulnerability
• Includes narratives, perspectives and case studies, illustrating and bringing to life the issues within the book

Table of Contents

Notes on contributors

1 Introduction 1
Vanessa Heaslip and Julie Ryden

2 Understanding vulnerability 6
Vanessa Heaslip

3 Power, discrimination, and oppression 28
Julie Ryden and Chris Willetts

4 Processes of oppression 65
Julie Ryden

5 Professional culture and vulnerability 91
Karen Cooper and Janet Scammell

6 The social construction of vulnerability 111
Janet Scammell and Gill Calvin Thomas

7 Psychological perspectives of vulnerability 132
Nikki Glendening and Sid Carter

8 Psychosocial experiences and implications of vulnerability 154
Chris Willetts, Gill Calvin Thomas and Vanessa Heaslip

9 Working to reduce vulnerability 177
Chris Willetts, Julie Ryden and Gill Calvin Thomas

10 Conclusion 209
Julie Ryden and Vanessa Heaslip

Index 218