Nurse autonomy as relational.

Full Abstract

This article seeks an improved understanding of nurse autonomy by looking at nursing through the lens of what recent feminist scholars have called 'relational' autonomy. A relational understanding of autonomy means a shift away from older views focused on individuals achieving independence, towards a view that seeks meaningful self-direction within a context of interdependency. The main claim made here is that nurse autonomy is, indeed, relational. The article begins with an explanation of the notion of relational autonomy. It then explains both the collective and the individual application of the term 'professional autonomy'. Finally, it argues that both senses of professional autonomy are best understood as relational, and suggests some implications of this conclusion.

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Author information

Author/s: MacDonald, Chris (C);

Affiliation: Department of Bioethics, Dalhousie University, 5849 University Avenue, Halifax, NS, B3H 4H7 Canada. chris.macdonald(-atsign-)dal.ca

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: Nursing ethics (Nurs Ethics), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Mar; vol 9 (issue 2) : pp 194-201

Dates: Created 2002/04/11; Completed 2002/07/19; Revised 2005/11/16;

PMID: 11944208, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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