Resigning: How nurses work within constraints

Abstract

This study explores and explains how nurses care for patients with stroke in the acute care setting and how they process these challenges to enable delivery of care. Using a classic grounded theory methodology, 32 nurses were interviewed who cared for patients with stroke and twenty hours of observations were undertaken. Nurses’ main concern is how to work within constraints. In dealing with this challenge, nurses engage in a process conceptualised as resigning and do so through idealistic striving, resourcing and care accommodation. Resigning acts as an energy maintenance and coping strategy, enabling nurses to continue working within constraints. This theory has the potential to enhance nursing care while reducing burnout and making better use of resources, while advocating for stroke care improvements.

Keywords

• care provision
• constraints
• classic grounded theory
• nursing
• resigning
• stroke