Abstract
The purpose of this study is to clarify the art of feeding, focusing on interaction between the nurse and the patient with dysphagia through a series of bodily movements. This study used a qualitative approach. Data was collected through two methods ： 1） participant observation and 2） the dialogue from a recorded video of the art of feeding demonstrated by nurses. The data was analyzed using a qualitative inductive method. This study was conducted over a period of one year and ten months. The participants consisted of two nurses and three short-stay patients with dysphagia. The levels of experience among the two participating nurses varied from seven years to over thirty years. All the patients had dysphagia caused by a stroke. Five categories had been found during the interaction through body movements and swallowing disabilities ： 1） “Positioning for eating,” 2） “Waiting for contact through the tongue,” 3） “Complementing the tongue movement,” 4） “Making chances to chew food,” and 5） “Help swallowing.” The nurses visualized the oral states of the patients by touching their bodies, and by doing so they were able to understand the physical and mental states of the patients and to assist them. The movements of the nurses and patients were synchronized through the bodily communication. The nurses repeatedly arranged the conditions for the patients to eat through the entire process from recognition of food to swallowing. The nurses complemented the paralyzed bodies of the patients to assist their eating.
