title: Achieving equilibrium within a culture of stability? Cultural knowing in nursing care on psychiatric intensive care units.
abstract: This article presents intensive psychiatric nurses' work and nursing care. The aim of the study was to describe expressions of cultural knowing in nursing care in psychiatric intensive care units (PICU). Spradley's ethnographic methodology was applied. Six themes emerged as frames for nursing care in psychiatric intensive care: providing surveillance, soothing, being present, trading information, maintaining security and reducing. These themes are used to strike a balance between turbulence and stability and to achieve equilibrium. As the nursing care intervenes when turbulence emerges, the PICU becomes a sanctuary that offers tranquility, peace and rest.
authors.affiliation: Dalarna University School of Health and Sciences, Falun, Sweden; Orebro University, School of Health and Medical Sciences, Orebro, Sweden. mse@du.se
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salzmann-Erikson
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: L Tz N
authors.forename: Ann-Britt
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Ivarsson
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eriksson
mesh_terms: D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D003419:Crisis Intervention; D003469:Culture; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009746:Nursing, Team; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000451:nursing*; D012107:Research Design; D012637:Security Measures; D012931:Social Environment; D012945:Social Values; D013548:Sweden; D013808:Therapeutic Community