How does the culture within prison settings influence nurses’ provision of person-centred care?
Abstract
Background
Despite recent changes in commissioning for prisoner healthcare in the United Kingdom, the
dichotomy between the culture of custody and the culture of care is still a prevalent issue
within custodial contexts as priorities still centre around security. There is a paucity of
research however, on the influence of these custodial cultures on nurses’ provision of
person-centred care. A recent literature review indicates the need for further research.
Aims
To develop an understanding of the influence of cultural factors on nurses’ ability to provide
person-centred care within custodial settings and to reveal tacit knowledge on the culture
of prison nursing which would otherwise go unnoticed.
Methods
A critical ethnographic design will be adopted with 6-9 months of fieldwork focusing on
participant observation and informal conversations embedded in person-centred
relationships. Data collection and analysis will be an ongoing process until data saturation is
achieved. Participants will be invited to contribute to the analysis.
Conclusion
The findings of this study could enhance the visibility of person-centred practice within
prison nursing and enable more favourable connections between prison and NHS nursing.
Findings may also contribute to enhancing our understanding of person-centredness in this
context.
Keywords: Culture; Prisoner; Nursing; Prison Nursing; Person-Centred Care; Critical
Ethnography.