Grażyna Puto

Narrative and narrative care enables the integration of a humanistic perspective into everyday clinical practice, referring to the stories (narratives) of patients and their relatives, as well as medical personnel. The combination of knowledge derived from narrative and the clinical context and determinants of the care provided allows to focus on the individual needs and uniqueness of each person. Narrative can also be perceived as a form of ethics. At the core of narrative ethics is the assumption that narrative is an essential element that influences decisions made in clinical  situations, including those related to resolving ethical dilemmas. Narrative ethics helps to appreciate the impact of stories (storytelling) on the self and to understand the richness and complexity of individual lives, and thus can provide a basis for ethical reasoning. Given the specificity of the professional nurse’s role, narrative ethics can be an important value used in teaching professional ethics. The aim of this paper is to present selected issues related to narrative ethics in the professional education of nurses.

People with intellectual disabilities experience stigma and discrimination. In caring for people with intellectual disabilities, special attention should be paid to respecting their dignity and subjectivity. The aim of this study is to emphasize the importance of respecting the dignity and subjectivity of adults with intellectual disabilities and the importance of communicating with them. The paper is based on a literature analysis of intellectual disability issues. The literature analysis indicates that the subject of intellectual disability concerns the subjectivity and the dignity of the people as well as the barriers to communication with the environment and medical personnel. It is fundamental to conduct research into care of people with intellectual disabilities. In addition, there is a need to organize training for all members of the therapeutic team, especially in the area of communication issues with people with intellectual disabilities.