This thesis is a comparative and historical study of nursing in Britain and the USA from 1860 to 1970. The framework for the enquiry is drawn from the sociology of occupations and professions and the material is oriented specifically to the suggestion that occupational groups 'professionalise' and that professionalisation is a quest for power. There are four parts. Part one reviews the literature on professions which was available in the early 1970s, noting the strong consensus of what are called 'sceptical theorists' around the theme of professional power. It also examines a more substantive literature on nursing, for its bearing on this theme, and outlines a research design. The design involves the specification of areas of power and of indicators of the amount of power held. It sugges ways in which empirical materials might be, collected, largely from secondary sources. Part two presents data on control gained by nurses in both countries in relation to two areas of entry and training. Reasons are given why the research design needed to be modified to produce a much more exploratory and interpretative account than had been envisaged. Differences in the matrix of institutions surrounding the regulation of nursing and the ways they function in the two settings are covered, still in the context of asking questions about the locus of power. The weaknesses of this style of analysis prompt an approach in part 3 which departs further from the original specifications. Nursing is seen as engaged less in a direct quest for control and more in a struggle for meaning. Three chapters deal in turn with concepts of the nurse and her work, aspects of the formulation and presentation of nursing knowledge and some of the strategies and struggles in which nurses have collectively engaged. A deliberate effort is made to build on and use the crosscultural, comparative opportunities presented by these data. The concluding section assesses the relevance of these analyses for the sociology of occupations and professions, suggesting that although the sceptical theorists of the early 1970s performed an important service in highlighting the normative nature of the concept of profession, they did not suggest altogether satisfactory ways of coming to terms with it. Two appendices are included, one providing additional statistical material for chapters 3 and 4, the other discussing issues of theory and method which arise in an historical and sociological project such as this.

The aim of this study is to explore Saudi women’s experience of being healthy during the postpartum period (also called Nifas in Arabic). Little attention has been given to women’s experience of health during the postpartum period; however, it is essential to understand their experiences and understandings of health during this time if we are to develop healthcare programmes that meet their needs and improve outcomes during postpartum period healthcare. Little attention is given to postpartum women’s health in Saudi Arabia, and a postpartum woman with a normal vaginal childbirth is usually discharged from a maternity hospital 24-48 hours after the childbirth. Then, for the next 40 days, she is secluded within the home, cared for by others (usually her mother) and will only be seen by healthcare services (the obstetrician) a month after childbirth to receive their postpartum check-up. This sole consultation is limited to examining her episiotomy, a routine procedure for the majority of Saudi women. The aim of this study is to find out about women’s health practices during this hidden but important time for women’s health- the 40 days following child birth that are spent in the home. This is an interpretive phenomenological study that examines online forum discussions of Saudi Arabian women sharing experiences and seeking advice on their health during the postpartum period (28 threads), as well as a total of 12 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women (n=7) and their carers (n=5) within their 40 days postpartum. Thematic analysis was used. The women described their experience of being healthy during the postpartum period. They believed that, during this time, women become vulnerable and open to certain illness, but they also perceived this period as an opportunity to achieve their optimal health and attractiveness. Some of the common themes that emerged were the challenges of confinement, achieving health, everyday threats and constraints, warnings and consequences, striving for normality, and becoming better than normal. However, key themes identified during interviews with postpartum women also included trust in various sources of knowledge, which included their carers, female relatives, friends, and online postpartum health discussions. The study also uncovered several strategies women used to follow health advice that were often hidden from their healthcare practitioners. In contrast, the findings from the online community discussions demonstrate that this was a forum where women could discuss issues which they did not feel able to discuss during interviews and in front of carers. These issues included the difficulties of judging expertise and advice, emotional and psychological health, husbands, and sexual activity. The study’s findings can be used to explain the postpartum women’s perception of health to healthcare providers, and the study can assist in understanding some of these women’s strategies to be healthy, including commonly followed traditional health practices. It highlights their difficulties in making sense of the large amount of traditional advice they are faced with, which covers every aspect of daily life during this period, from hygiene and food to preventing and healing episiotomies, but which also ignores key issues for these women (mental and sexual health). Finally, this study highlights Saudi women’s need for support and improved communication between these women and clinical services during the postpartum period; the frankness of the online discussions indicates that a reliable and confidential online health education forum might offer an effective way of providing this information and support.

No description available.