1st Edition
Caring in Context An Ethnography of Cancer Nursing in India
Drawing on ethnographic research conducted by an American nurse, Caring in Context is an exploration of how most of the world experiences cancer, and how nurses bear witness and respond to the suffering of others when they have little means to help—or for complex reasons, choose not to.
This compelling book centers on nurses in a government cancer hospital in South India and examines key contexts that influence nursing practice and the delivery of healthcare, including hierarchical legacies of colonialism and the caste system, resource scarcity, power and perceived powerlessness, and gender inequities. These themes are illustrated through intersecting narratives, such as the story of Hameeda, an orphaned teenager with sarcoma who lives at the hospital until she becomes paralyzed, and Sister Meena, a nurse who strives to provide better care but encounters overwhelming structural obstacles and is chastised by her superiors for doing too much.
Offering a critical re-examination of the realities faced by clinicians, patients, and family members who struggle to deliver and receive cancer care, Caring in Context’s unique perspective and accessible style will appeal to a wide and interdisciplinary audience, from practitioners, academics, and advocates to anyone interested in the complex context of the human experience.
PART I:INTRODUCTION. Introduction. PART II:SOUTH INDIAN CANCER HOSPITAL. 1.In the Struggle. 2.What We Can Do, We Do. 3.If We Don’t Shout, They Won’t Listen. 4.Behind the Wall. 5.I Cannot Always Trust My Heart. 6.No Legs, No Life. PART III:THE COMMUNITY. 7.The Stigma That Cannot Be Washed Away. PART IV:OTHER HOSPITALS. 8.Cash for Compassion. PART V:CONCLUSIONS. 9.How Life Shines Through. 10.The Similarities in Our Differences. 11.Notes on Methods and Recommendations.
Biography
Virginia LeBaron is the Kluge-Schakat Associate Professor of Compassionate Care at the University of Virginia School of Nursing, in Charlottesville, Virginia (USA).
"The best ethnography of a government hospital in a low and middle-income country I have read. “Caring in Context” captures in vivid, raw, and heartfelt detail the experiences of cancer patients, their caretakers, and hospital staff in India. The rich descriptions of human suffering and inadequate pain management, and the ways hospital staff attempt to maintain control as well as their own humanity in the face of scant resources and unmeetable patient needs, are haunting."
Mark Nichter, PhD, Regents Professor Emeritus, University of Arizona, School of Anthropology, USA
"Caring in Context unveils poignant stories of unbearable suffering in a government cancer hospital in South India. In this remarkable work, Virginia LeBaron shares powerful, honest examples of how the nurses and other healthcare professionals cope without essential medicines and basic resources. This is a crucial book for all who are interested in global health and the urgent need for universal access to palliative care."
Judith Paice, PhD, RN, Director, Cancer Pain Program, Northwestern University; Feinberg School of Medicine, USA"Dr. Virginia LeBaron has shared her frontline experiences in India, but her words describe the far broader concerns of the inequity of health care worldwide. Her time in India captured in this book describes the elements of power and money, and the consequence of this unjust system which results in profound suffering. The book is essential reading for clinicians, researchers and policy makers who care about human rights. Her first-person narrative will open your eyes, and your hearts."
Betty Ferrell PhD, FAAN, FPCN, CHPN, Professor, City of Hope Medical Center, USA
PI, End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC)
