ABSTRACT
Over a half century ago, The work of nurses in hospital wards1 noted a difficulty in meeting specific patient needs. It attributed this to the allocation of nursing care in the form of separate tasks carried out by different nurses, which meant little time was given to emotional care.2 This thesis eventually led to the introduction of the nursing process from the United States in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and more explicit attempts to address the patient’s care on a holistic basis. The preeminence of the nurse-patient relationship peaked with primary nursing in the late 1980s, but both that approach to nursing and the holistic care of the individual has declined over the past decade for a variety of educational, organizational and political reasons.3
