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Conceptual Basis for Rural Nursing
Edited by Helen J. Lee, (1998).
New York, New York. Springer. 496 Pages.
Anyone working with rural populations in any area of the country can benefit from reading Conceptual Basis for Rural Nursing. The book begins with an introduction that provides a refresher for those immersed in rural nursing literature and an introduction to those new to rural nursing. This chapter discusses several concepts such as distance, isolation, lack of anonymity, familiarity, oldtimer, newcomer, insider, outsider, self-reliance, health resources, lay care network and informal networks. All of these concepts are integrated throughout the book. A reprint of the classic article by Long and Weinert (1989) highlights the need for health care providers to be attuned to cultural differences in not only language but also in help-seeking behavior and compliance with health care regimens. The article by Lee compares the concepts of old-timer/newcomer/insider/outsider and is particularly helpful to the reader in sorting out the combinations and overlaps in those concepts.
The third section of the book provides a perspective of health care from the view of the client. Four of the chapters report on qualitative research in the areas of perspectives of rural persons, health perceptions of rural elders, protecting independence, and hardiness in rural men and women from the perspective of the client. These chapters reflect the uniqueness of rural living. The chapters on cultural isolation and...