ABSTRACT
In a ‘civilised’ society, people cover their bodies and there are rules which govern the circumstances in which it is socially acceptable to be naked, or to be relatively naked. For example, examination of the body by a medical practitioner is an occasion when it is acceptable to expose the body (see Emerson 1971), but there are strict taken-for-granted rules which apply. In the circumstances which often prevail during hospitalisation, however, both patient and nurse must negotiate the process of ‘handing over’ (on the part of the patient) and ‘taking over’ (on the part of the nurses) the body for its physical care. Consequently, there are rules which normally apply in society to be considered, such as the expectation that people will show some modesty about body exposure, there are rules which make it acceptable for nurses to take other people’s clothes off, wash their bodies and help them with toileting, and there are rules which govern the timing of the ‘handing over’ ‘taking over’ process. However, Weinberg’s (1968) two organising factors, the definition of the situation and the intended or unintended nature of the act, mean that managing embarrassment can be problematic for the patient and the nurse.
