How the Wants of Patients Become Needs

The Caring Process of Nurses in “A” Hospital

Abstract

This paper examines the caring process of medical professionals. While it is often said that today medical professionals have to cope more effectively with non-medical problems that are part of the life of patients, little attention has been given to how this is to be accomplished. Based on a study of how nurses in “A” hospital setting perceive the life of patients and how they apprehend their needs, I argue that the definition of patient need is always contingent. Effective attention to and care for patients in modern hospitals require recognition of this contingency.