Search

The article explores the private practice nursing profession from the angle of gender. The methodology is based on cross-referencing data taken from statistical and field surveys. The results show that men and women practise differently. Training paths, careers and professional activities are shaped by the caregivers' gender., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Freelance nurses are in contact with an array of professionals working to help elderly people to continue living at home. In particular they form close ties with social service assistants and home care support workers. Between diverging perspectives and actual collaboration, these relationships seem atthe very least extremely contrasting.

The aim of this study was to investigate the care practices surrounding end-of-life patients and the scope for providing palliative care in two emergency department short-stay units. Two qualitative methods of investigation were used: direct ethnographic-type observation and semi-directed group interviews. The results highlight the fact that end-of-life situations inflect the practices of care and give rise to adjustments in the organization of work. These practices operate in two registers: that of supporting the family and that of attention to the patient's comfort. We propose a typology of end-of-life patients. In conclusion, the practices, termed 'palliative care' by the caregivers, are addressed to terminally ill patients expected to die shortly. This issue should be debated within emergency departments.