Balancing contradictory requirements in homecare nursing—A discourse analysis

Abstract

The analysis found homecare nursing to be a diverse and contradictory practice with ever-increasing work tasks. Presented as binary oppositions, we identified the following prevailing discourses: individualized care versus organizing work; everyday-life care versus medical follow-up; and following rules versus using professional discretion. The binary oppositions represent contradictory requirements that homecare nurses strive to balance. The findings indicate that medical follow-up and organizational work have become more dominant in homecare nursing, leaving less time and attention paid to relational and everyday-life care.