The Patient Attendant in a Patient Care Team

The nurse’s role is universally recognized, and forms part of the socio-cultural dimension of overall patient care in hospitals. Patient attendants work hard in hospitals to provide support to the nursing teams and the patients they assist. This task, with its heavy social, moral and physical responsibilities, is often perceived as an ignored job. This book is an attempt to improve the image of nurses. It describes the situation of nurses in the public hospitals of Brazzaville (Republic of Congo), discusses the problems of nurses and the implications of nurses in patient care. It analyzes their living conditions, as well as the impact on their health. The book also shows the contribution made by patient caretakers to patient care teams, and their resilience in the face of the situations they encounter in hospitals.