Euclidean or Projective Care?

How many dimensions does a written - narrative record have?

Sketching out some ideas, I asked the question on Google and as usual an AI Overview response followed - snippet:

AI Overview

A physical written record has two primary spatial dimensions (length and breadth/width) as a flat document, or three dimensions (including thickness or depth/height) when considering its physical form or binding. [1, 2]

In archival and Records Continuum theory, a written record exists dynamically across four conceptual dimensions: [1, 2].

I put the question to the Records Management list with the above snippet and received several useful suggestions and sources. Perhaps I can share that at a future point? 

Acutely aware of not pursuing maths and category theory for its own sake, the query was driven by an attempt to look at Hodges' model in mathematical terms. Starting, rather obviously with the models structure and axes. When the model is assembled, as per many posts, the vertical axis:

INDIVIDUAL
|
GROUP

- shouts out the issue of parity and the distinction between mind and body. It does this at the individual and collective level. If we were to draw a silo, a cylinder springs to mind, and there are specific reasons for silos adopting this shape. Descartes gives us the perfect excuse, in the ongoing legacy. 

     Mathematical Visions

The question above came up from Joan L. Richards book 'Mathematical Visions' (c/o Lancaster Univ. library). Euclidean and the emergence of projective geometry is described. There is an interplay between 2D and 3D representation, that made me think about the health record and its dimensions. Not in a dataset sense (multi-dimensional), more generally and concretely(?). A patient's record on paper has physical dimensions (A4), there is a flow. An EHR has its virtual dimensions (discuss!). Abstractly the content is a time machine. At some point in a health encounter it is a literal 'history', the level of detail in accord with the context. The record might present the problem, premorbid situation, diagnosis, current state, observations and prognosis and much more.

I can revisit this, Richards provides a series of figures. We progress from two distinct circles (my silos) through to examples with a discussion of continuity and projection that sees the circles touching, then intersecting. This is a radical axis.

Richards, Joan L. (1988), Mathematical Visions: The Pursuit of Geometry in Victorian England, Boston: Academic Press, ISBN0-12-587445

Book cover: Amazon.

Typologies in nursing - Macduff (2007)

This paper was brought to my attention by the author Colin Macduff (now retired) who was Principal Investigator in a project [2018-2020] RIPEN. This included a series of workshops to which I was able to contribute. I knew this would be useful and must find the paper (in 14,1) also mentioned.

"What are typologies?

In relation to this initial question. Patton (2002) offers a useful definition and  distinction: 'Typologies are classification systems made up of categories that divide some aspect of the world into parts along a continuum. They differ from taxonomies, which completely classify a phenomenon through mutually exclusive and exhaustive categories, like the biological system for classifying species. Typologies, in contrast, are built on ideal types or illustrative  endpoints rather than a complete and discrete set of categories'." p.41.

'Most commonly, typology constructors such as Roberts-Davis et al  (1998) and Nolan et al (1995) present them as ways of clarifying thinking  rather than as rigid structures that are universally applicable. The difficulty  here is that within nursing discourse a number of other devices such as conceptual frameworks and models are also commonly used to this end.' p.42.

individual

|
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

group

Box 1: Typology of family care (Nolan et al 1995) Anticipatory care Preventive care   Supervisory care   Instrumental care   Protective care   Preservative care   (Re)constructive care   Reciprocal care p.44.

If you can obtain a copy^, do check out Box 2 and Figure 1, plus the discussion and conclusion.

Macduff, C. (2007). Typologies in nursing: A review of the literature. Nurse Researcher, 14(2), Article 2.  https://doi.org/10.7748/nr2007.01.14.2.40.c6020 (^Paywall)