It has been suggested that the Project 2000 reforms to nurse education may lead to nurses becoming managers of care rather than direct providers of care (Elkan and Robinson, 1991; Naish, 1993; Ramprogus, 1995). This development is of particular importance given that the opportunity to provide care has been cited as a major factor in people joining the profession (Pratt, 1980; Chapman, 1983). Nurses' perceptions of, and involvement in, care-giving are being explored as part of a longitudinal, questionnaire survey investigating the careers of nurse diplomates. This paper outlines the problems which arose in defining 'care' for use in questionnaires, and explains how the concept of 'care' was operationalised using previous literature and work with a pilot cohort. Developing a common understanding of 'care' will enable comparison across studies which are exploring the concept.
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