The use of Bourdieu's "Theory of Practice" as a research framework could allow nurse researchers to explore the interactions of nurses with the structures, agents and symbols of illness within the field of care. This work could enhance understanding of how nurses view and react to patients in their care, and promote the development of practice innovations and policy change. The theory may, therefore, have much to offer future nursing research.

The filial piety model of family centred care has dominated Chinese society for thousands of years. The ways in which filial piety is presented are being modified and modernised as China undergoes social transitions. The study aims to understand the meaning of filial piety for people with dementia and family caregivers. Semi-structured interviews with people with dementia ( n = 10) and family caregivers ( n = 14) were conducted. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three themes emerged: (a) 'Being filial is a cultural continuity and my future investment'. (b) 'The changed perception and ways of being filial'. (c) 'Filial responsibility is a social and cultural convention, but not my personal choice'. This study highlights the importance of cultural values in family care decision making and in shaping filial responsibilities. It indicates that filial obligation can be maintained through social support, even though the nature of filial piety has been changed by social transitions.

Backgroundinstitutionalisation following acute hospital admission is common and yet poorly described, with policy documents advising against this transition.Objectiveto characterise the individuals admitted to a care home on discharge from an acute hospital admission and to describe their assessment.Design and settinga retrospective cohort study of people admitted to a single large Scottish teaching hospital.Subjects100 individuals admitted to the acute hospital from home and discharged to a care home.Methodsa single researcher extracted data from ward-based case notes.Resultspeople discharged to care homes were predominantly female (62%), widowed (52%) older adults (mean 83.6 years) who lived alone (67%). About 95% had a diagnosed cognitive disorder or evidence of cognitive impairment. One-third of cases of delirium were unrecognised. Hospital stays were long (median 78.5 days; range 14–231 days) and transfers between settings were common. Family request, dementia, mobility, falls risk and behavioural concerns were the commonest reasons for the decision to admit to a care home. About 55% were in the acute hospital when the decision for a care home was made and 44% of that group were discharged directly from the acute hospital.Conclusionscare home admission from hospital is common and yet there are no established standards to support best practice. Decisions should involve the whole multidisciplinary team in partnership with patients and families. Documentation of assessment in the case notes is variable. We advocate the development of interdisciplinary standards to support the assessment of this vulnerable and complex group of patients.

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