differed widely. Areas of conjunction between the
perceptions of roles included the nurse as giver of
information, as teacher, and supporter for the child.
In 1993, in a qualitative study of
relationships (Johnson, 1993) between parents and
nurses, ten parents who accompanied their admitted
children were investigated using structured interviews.
Two parents kept diaries during the admission.
Perceptions of parents' and nurses' roles, barriers to
effective working relationships and recommendations
for working together were investigated. This
descriptive study highlighted examples of parents'
perceptions. Although valuable for its descriptive
analysis, statistical analysis of comparisons between
what the parents and nurses said would have provided
insight into communication barriers. Parents perceived
their role to be that of worker; while nurses were seen
to be teachers, providers of medical and technical care,
and emotional and physical support. Barriers to working
lfl partnership were found to be ineffective
communication, staffing issues, confusion about roles
and environment. To enhance partnership, improved
communication, role clarification and
acknowledgement that the parent knows his or her
child best was necessary.
Callery and Smith (1991) examined nurses'
explanations of their relationships with parents. Sixtyfour
nurses described 112 critical incidents from their
practice. The balance of power in the nurse/parent
relationship was found to be weighted in the nurses'