Rhetoric on diabetic control: Language use between nurses and patients in the context of a documentary milieu

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze language use between nurses and patients around the issue of diabetic control in the context of a documentary cultural milieu. Two public health nurses and their two clients who had diabetes participated in the study. The nurses were interviewed before and after home visits with their clients. The investigator was an observer during the nurse-patient visits. The clients were interviewed twice following their home visits. The interviews and the nurse-patient visits were taperecorded and transcribed. Semiotic analysis was used to interpret the data. Metaphors and sets of oppositions were explored and were seen to generate two themes. These themes were the power of the document and the logic of compliance. Themes are described and evidence from the interviews is presented. Both have implications for practice and research.