Public representations of the nursing image in YouTube comments: analysis based on Jean Watson’s theory

Abstract

Objective: To analyze how the nursing image, present in public comments on YouTube videos that broadcast news, reports, or articles related to the profession in four television channels in Chile, is publicly represented and symbolically constructed. Method: A qualitative study based on content analysis, according to the guidelines of Elo and Kyngäs. A total of 1,018 public comments from 13 YouTube videos were analyzed. Purposive sampling and inductive thematic analysis were applied using ATLAS.ti® software. The interpretation of the findings was furthered using Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring. Ethical approval was not required, but the commentators’ identity was protected. Results: Thematic analysis identified two categories: public representations that violate the ethics of humane care in nursing and public representations that reinforce it. Conclusion: The findings reveal a polarization between discourses of stigmatization and those of ethical and human recognition. These tensions reflect challenges in the social positioning of nursing and in the appreciation of care as the core of practice.