Two concepts at the heart of nursing are comfort and caring. The Meriam Webster dictionary defines comfort as easing grief or trouble, as well as giving hope or strength. The definition of caring is showing or feeling concern for others. Theorists Jean Watson and Katharine Kolcaba seek to enhance nurses understanding of caring and comforting patients through their respective theories. This paper will discuss their theories using a stepwise approach. Concepts of Interest Watson’s Theory of Transpersonal Caring is considered a philosophy; therefore, it is very broad and general in scope. Included in the theory are ten caritas the nurse should practice promoting a meaningful nurse-patient relationship (Sitzman & Wright Eichelberger, 2017). …show more content…
Nursing behaviors that improve patient comfort are as simple as positioning and repositioning, knowing patients special comfort habits, and advocating for family presence (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). It is important to use a measurement tool to assess comfort and remember to reassess for a positive outcome or plan a new intervention. Comfort is associated with the pursuit of healthy behavior, increased patient satisfaction, and better cost-benefit ratios (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). Although Watson’s caring model is a broad philosophy that applies to nursing practice in general, nurses utilizing this theory would find Kolcaba’s middle-range comfort theory aligns well within the framework those …show more content…
While routinely preparing the patient for his procedure, which involves placing multiple ECG leads and cardiac mapping patches, this nurse noticed the patient looking very apprehensive. This nurse stopped preparations and asked the patient if he was okay and if he had any questions. His eyes became a bit teary. This nurse reached for his hand, which he squeezed, gratefully. An explanation ensued regarding the purpose of each piece of equipment in the room, the placement of each patch and the purpose of the same, and why so much equipment was needed. At this point, the patient squeezed this nurses hand and related that he had just needed that moment to connect with someone. He was having an anxiety attack and just did not know how to let anyone know. After a quick squeeze, preparations resumed, and the procedure started. Later in the day, the patients’ wife stopped this nurse to let her know how much she helped her husband calm his fears before the procedure. Being present for the patient does make a
These assumptions are testable and useful. As a middle range theory, comfort theory has a limited number of propositions which reflect generalizations beyond specific clinical case studies. However, there are conflicting numbers of propositions in various texts. Kolcaba (2003) reported six propositions, McEwen and Willis (2014) reported eight propositions, and Smith and Parker (2015) divided the concepts into three major parts. The various numbers of propositions reflect variation in parsimonious expression of content rather than conflicting content as the major themes expressed remain consistent. The propositions listed on Kolcaba’s Comfort Line website are discussed in this paper as this author assumed Kolcaba’s website contained the most accurate and current information. Kolcaba (2010a) listed five propositions for comfort theory: Nurses identify the patient’s comfort needs unmet by existing support systems; nurses design interventions to address those needs; the intervening variables are taken into account to design the interventions and reasonable, mutually agreed upon outcomes; if enhanced comfort is achieved, patients are strengthened to engage in health seeking behaviors (HSBs) or a peaceful
Both theories use communication as the backbone to their theories and in developing an environment conducive to promote healing. Although communication is the framework for both theories, types of communication is looked at different in each theory. In Watson’s theory, she that communication is a spiritual occurrence. The focus is on nonverbal as well as verbal expressions. She also involves personal experiences and growth, art, religious practices. Watson uses the concept of care as the center of nursing care. The goal of the Human Care Theory is for the patient and nurse to gain a higher degree of harmony within themselves, cultivating a wholeness of mind/body/spirit (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2010, p.
Kolcaba 's Theory of Comfort was first developed in the 1990s. This is a theory and has the potential to place comfort in the forefront of health-care. Comfort is a basic need. The model; comfort is an immediate desirable outcome of nursing care. The environment is any aspect of the patient, family, or institutional surroundings that can be manipulated by a nurse or loved one in order to enhance comfort. Health is considered to be optimal functioning in the patient, as defined by the patient, group, family, or community. Comfort can occur for the patient as physical, psycho-spiritual, environmental, and socio-cultural. Malinowski, A., & Stamler, L. (2002).
She proposed that caring and love are universal and mysterious (Wagner, 2010). Watson believes that health professionals make moral, social, and scientific contributions to humanity and that a nurses' caring ideal can affect human development (Wagner, 2010). Watson believes that it is imperative in today's society to maintain a caring ideology in practice (Wagner, 2010). Caring is a concept that focuses on having a respectful, non-judgmental, supportive attitude that contributes to the healing process. Watson's theory, in relationship to the metaparadigm of nursing, focuses on the relationship between the nurse and the patient (Wagner, 2010). According to Watson's theory, the nurse and patient form a caring relationship where both the patient and the nurse promote healing (Wagner, 2010). In general, the theory of caring reminds us that a nurse can have a great impact on the life of a patient. If I were to add a new conceptual metaparadigm, it would be the concept of caring since I firmly believe that without caring it will be almost impossible to have wellness at all. If I were to choose one metaparadigm concept to eliminate, I would opt to remove the concept of health since I think that in the concepts of caring and nursing the individual's health should be fully
In the field of Nursing, the role of caring is an important, if not the most critical, aspect involved to ensure that the patient is provided with the most proficient healthcare plan possible. Jean Watson developed a series of theories involved with transpersonal relationships and their importance, along with caring, in the restorative process of the patient and healing in general. Although all of Watson 's caritas processes are crucial to the role of nurses and patient care, the fourth process is incredibly essential as it outlines the importance of the caring nurse-patient relationship. This paper serves to identify Watson 's fourth caritas process, how it can be integrated in nursing care and how it can be developed by current nursing
The Theory of Nursing as Caring: A Model for Transforming Practice by Boykin & Schoenhofer recognizes the importance of identifying caring between the nurse and the one nursed as an applicable knowledge that the nurse must pursue. It is best stated that caring is not exclusive to nursing, yet it is uniquely lived in nursing (Alligood 2014).
In conclusion, Jean Watson’s theory of caring, a middle-range theory, provides essential framework and guidelines in nursing shortage problem. Nurses who exposed to caring theory have moral and ethical obligations to care for others during challenging situations. Patients, families and other professionals depend on nursing profession, their expertise and knowledge for best patient
The practice of nursing expands further than fixing medical problems in a patient’s life. While healing plays a large role in nursing some might say caring makes a greater impact. The act of caring is unique to nursing where “caring comes before curing” (Potter 2017). In nursing showing patient’s care is essential to their well-being. It becomes obvious when there is a lack of care and that may hinder healing. Aspects of caring in the scope of the nursing practice include but are not limited to, caring actions, patient advocacy and self-care.
Watson conceived her Theory of Human Caring while she was teaching at the University of Colorado in 1975 to 1979 (Conway et al, 2011). It evolved from her personal views on nursing and merged with her learning and experience from her doctoral studies in education, clinical and social psychology. With the publication of her first book, Jean Watson developed the initial ideas of her theory and came up with 10 “carative” factors. Her actual theory was published in 1985, after which she further developed the corresponding nursing curriculum. In those years, Watson also extensively traveled in Asia and Australia while practiced. The prevailing influences in the nursing field at the time were those of Carl Rogers, Florence Nightingale and Leininger. Main psy...
“Comfort is an immediate desirable outcome of nursing care. ” (Kolcaba, Introduction, 2010) Comfort in healthcare is something that many would think would be understood without a theory, but comfort has never been well defined in the past. Katharine Kolcaba is a middle-range theorist who has been developing the Comfort Theory since the 1990s (Comfort Theory: Katharine Kolcaba, 2011) in order to help define what comfort means in the healthcare setting. According to Kolcaba, comfort exists in three forms: relief, ease, and transcendence. (Comfort Theory: Katharine Kolcaba, 2011) The Comfort Theory is a modern, universal, and very applicable theory for the field of nursing as it is today.
Watson first published her theory of caring in 1979 in a book titled, Nursing: Human Science and Caring. Watson and other researchers have built upon this theory and caring theory should continually be evolving as the delivery of patient care evolves. This theory focuses on care between the nurse and the patient. This interaction is defined as setting mutual tasks, how a spiritual force may help the interaction and when caring in the moment of true healing may occur. When the nurse and patient are on the same level spiritually self-awareness and self-discovery occur. There are ten themes identified in this article essential to caring in
According to Kristen Swanson’s theory of caring, caring consists of Knowing, Being with, Doing for, Enabling, and maintaining belief. She believes that the environment and what is in the environment can affect people, either positively or negatively. As a nursing student, I possess the qualities of enabling, doing for, and being with. These qualities are implanted in me via my upbringing, culture, religious belief, and life experience/encounters(my environment). “Enabling” is the nurses’ responsibility to help the make a transition into the unknown.
Watson views the concept of a human being as a person that should be valued, cared for, respected, nurtured, understood, and assisted (Nursing Theories, 2012). Every human being should be treated as a person instead of an object and receive the opportunity to have their distinct needs cared for. Health is viewed as a high level of physical, mental, and social functioning, ability to adapt and maintenance with daily living, and the lack of illness or the efforts that lead to the lack of (Nursing Theories, 2012). Watson’s theory believes that the environment determines the values that influence your behaviors and the goals you wish to pursue. It also influences how well a patient copes with the situation and how the nurse should be supportive and considerate towards the patient. Watson defines nursing as “a human science of persons and human health-illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic and ethical human transactions” (Nursing Theories, 2012, para. 4). Nursing should be more than just providing medical care, it should establish a relationship and build trust. Watson’s other concepts of her theory include the caring occasion, transpersonal caring, phenomenal field, self, and
Comfort is important to caring in nursing because it is the nurse 's job to try and help the patient feel at ease and be pain free.
The purpose of this paper is an overview of Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring. This theory can be taken into account as one of the most philosophicaly complicated of existent nursing theories. The Theory of Human Caring, which also has been reffered to as the Theory of Transpersonal Caring, is middle – range explanatory theory. (Fawccett, 2000) The central point of which is on the human component of caring and actual encounter between the client and the caregiver. Jean Watson has stated that her work was motivated by her search of a new meaning to the world of nursing and patient care. “ I felt a dissonnance between nursing’s (meta) paradigm of caring-healing and health, and medicines’s (meta) paradigm of diagnosis and treatment, and concentration on disease and pathology”. (Watson, 1997,p.49)