A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the degree of MSc. Med
(Bioethics & Health Law) Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics, Faculty of Health
Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg
November 2017. / Most literature on commercialisation of healthcare reports on the effects of the
continuing commodification of healthcare on the doctor-patient relationship. It
suggests that the commodification of healthcare as a management practice
has the potential to alter the power balance between doctor and patient, and
affect the care relationship. This has resulted with the global rebranding of
patients as healthcare consumers, in the process impacting on the caring
value that characterises the healthcare doctor-patient relationship. In contrast,
however, these concerns have not been widely investigated in relation to the
nurse-patient relationship. This relationship, grounded as it is in care ethics,
has the potential to be severely altered by the pressures of healthcare
commodification – particularly as nurses continue to be the primary caregivers
in hospital settings.
Thus, the study aimed to address this by empirically identifying and exploring
areas of ethical tension relating to nurse-patient relationships in a
commodified healthcare environment. The objectives of the study were to
offer an empirically-based care ethics discussion on nursing care in private
healthcare facilities. This study plays a part in addressing the current absence
of both theoretical and empirical studies that examine the impact of
commodification of healthcare on the actions of nurses.
The study used a qualitative, explorative and descriptive approach to
thematically analyse data collected from interviews with 16 nurses working in
a private healthcare facility in Johannesburg. The findings support the
argument that the commodification of healthcare transforms the nature of
healthcare provision resulting with the replacement of professional ethics with
marketplace ethics. This is harmful to the mutual trust and respect between
the nurses and their patients. Hence, it is critical to rethink the value of
compassionate and humane care as an integral part of ethical nursing
practice. / LG2018
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/25522 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | Ramokgopa, Prudence |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | application/pdf |
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