This thesis researches the phenomenon ‘caring relationship’. The empirical studies in this thesis were carried out in China with the aim to describe the caring relationship in China through the lifeworld experiences of professional caregivers and patients. The result of this study will later on relate to a study of Swedish caring relationships. For this phenomenological study 9 patients, 10 medical and healthcare workers and 4 nursing tutors were interviewed. They were from 5 different medical and care units from two hospitals, one private clinic and a nursing school in Southern China. This study shows that caring relationship in China has many layers. Embedded in the basic interpersonal relationship is a ‘relationship of need’. The relationship carries a goal: to help the patient to restore a personal harmonic existence and regain the responsibility for their health. The relationship is temporary and normally ends when the goal is achieved. The relationship is initiated by the patients need for help. The two main actors in the caring relationship are the patient and the caregiver with their roles as care seeker and care provider. This study shows that to become a patient is a process of diminishing the natural ordinary self which makes the person feel vulnerable. Caregivers take a leading role which carries responsibility. They feel an obligation to use all their knowledge and resources for the benefit of the patients. They teach them how to live and how to stay healthy. A main function in the caring relationship is the transfer of knowledge. The caregivers feel the need to create a dialog to get access to the patients’ unique knowledge about themselves so that the caregiver’s general knowledge of health and care can be applied to the individual. Through the informal chats they share the patient’s experiences, emotions and history. It creates en opportunity for the interpersonal relationship to grow deeper and for the patient and the caregiver to meet as fellow human beings. In the Chinese caring relationship the patient’s family is included. It is considered to be every contributor’s duty to be responsible for oneself and for others. Mutual understanding and respect in a caring relationship are important in getting the patient back into balance.

<p>This thesis researches the phenomenon ‘caring relationship’. The empirical studies in this thesis were carried out in China with the aim to describe the caring relationship in China through the lifeworld experiences of professional caregivers and patients. The result of this study will later on relate to a study of Swedish caring relationships.</p><p>For this phenomenological study 9 patients, 10 medical and healthcare workers and 4 nursing tutors were interviewed. They were from 5 different medical and care units from two hospitals, one private clinic and a nursing school in Southern China.</p><p>This study shows that caring relationship in China has many layers. Embedded in the basic interpersonal relationship is a ‘relationship of need’. The relationship carries a goal: to help the patient to restore a personal harmonic existence and regain the responsibility for their health. The relationship is temporary and normally ends when the goal is achieved.</p><p>The relationship is initiated by the patients need for help. The two main actors in the caring relationship are the patient and the caregiver with their roles as care seeker and care provider. This study shows that to become a patient is a process of diminishing the natural ordinary self which makes the person feel vulnerable. Caregivers take a leading role which carries responsibility. They feel an obligation to use all their knowledge and resources for the benefit of the patients. They teach them how to live and how to stay healthy.</p><p>A main function in the caring relationship is the transfer of knowledge. The caregivers feel the need to create a dialog to get access to the patients’ unique knowledge about themselves so that the caregiver’s general knowledge of health and care can be applied to the individual. Through the informal chats they share the patient’s experiences, emotions and history. It creates en opportunity for the interpersonal relationship to grow deeper and for the patient and the caregiver to meet as fellow human beings.</p><p>In the Chinese caring relationship the patient’s family is included. It is considered to be every contributor’s duty to be responsible for oneself and for others. Mutual understanding and respect in a caring relationship are important in getting the patient back into balance.</p>

This research study examines Jewish women’s traditions from the perspective of midwives, in the United States (US), particularly midwives in Florida and New York, based on their work caring for women of childbearing age in the Hasidic Ashkenazi and Sephardic Orthodox communities. The reproductive traditions examined in this research may be practiced differently depending on a woman’s degree of religiosity and the rabbinic authorities in their communities. The primary data I collected in this study are based on ethnographic methods, including participant-observation with midwives, and semi-structured interviews with midwives and rebbetzins. The secondary data draws on my analysis of the professional context for the practice of midwifery in the US, and Talmudic texts and rabbinical rulings related to family planning, reproduction, and sexuality education. This study shows how midwives are central to these traditions and facilitate not only the family planning and childbearing experiences, but also the religious practices that go with reproductive healthcare. This research also demonstrates how midwives who take care of Jewish women negotiate on behalf of their patients with the local rabbis to provide care that is patient-centered and clinically recommended on the one hand but is culturally appropriate on the other hand. My research study builds on and contributes to anthropological scholarship about Jewish women and reproductive healthcare, and considers whether, and how, the reproductive health practices of the Hasidic women are surviving in a changing world.