The Complexity of Friendship in Nurse-Parent Relationships within Pediatric Oncology Contexts

Vollständiger Abstract

Worum geht es in dieser Arbeit?

In pediatric oncology contexts, the quality of nurse-parent relationships significantly affects the care experiences for children with cancer and their families. It is not uncommon for parents to express that their relationships with nurses mirror the closeness they feel with family and friends. However, this closeness can complicate efforts to maintain professional boundaries. Despite an extensive body of literature on nurse-patient relationships, the specific perspectives of nurses and parents on relational complexity remain under-researched. Guided by hermeneutics, this research involved interviews with six parents of children with cancer and six pediatric oncology nurses in a Canadian healthcare context. Drawing on a larger doctoral research project that examined themes including intimacy and strangeness, conflict, and online and offline professional boundary navigation in nurse-parent relationships, this article focuses specifically on findings related to understanding friendship.