The Theory of Caring in Nursing’s Effect on Patient Outcomes Nursing theory is a vital part of the nursing profession. Theories are developed from nurses who have seen an issue in the nursing field and have developed a way to solve the issue that they have encountered. These theories have changed, not only the way the world views nurses, but also the kind of care nurses perform. Florence Nightingale discovered while taking care of patients that the environment which the patient was surrounded had an impact on the patient’s health. Doreatha Orem’s theory states that a patient will recover from illness and procedures more quickly if they are taught how to care for themselves before discharge. Madeleine Leininger’s nursing theory states that …show more content…
Watson’s theory emphasizes the relationship between how patients receive care from nurses, how patients perceive the care they receive, and how nurses and other healthcare personnel perceive the roles that they are in and the care that they provide (Finkelman & Kenner, 2016, pg. 278). Watson believes that when a patient is able to experience a higher degree of harmony in the mind, body, and soul through a transpersonal caring relationship provided from the nurse that this enables the patient to heal more quickly (Ranhei et al., 2012,). The elements of the caring theory include the transpersonal caring relationship, caritas process, and caring occasion and caring moment. The caritas word comes from the Greek language meaning to cherish and to give special loving attention to. Watson thought that the nurse should use ten caritas as a guide on how he or she approached the patient. The ten caritas processes are 1) altruistic values and loving kindness; 2) faith, hope, and honor; 3) being sensitive to self and others; 4) helping, trusting, caring relationships; 5) promoting and accepting feelings; 6) problem-solving methods; 7) teaching and learning; 8) creating a healing environment; 9) assisting with human needs; and 10) openness to mystery and allowing miracles (Arslan-Ozkan et al., 2014, pg. …show more content…
This study consisted of two groups of women. The first group was the intervention group. This group was exposed to nursing care based on Watson’s Theory of Caring. After consulting with Watson and nursing academic personnel that specialized in infertility, a decision was made to focus nursing care using caritas 4, 5, 6, and 7. Caritas 4 focused on initiating interaction and communicating with the patients, while caritas 5 focused on the level of distress of infertility, self-efficacy, and adjustment. Caritas 6 assisted in achieving solutions to problems of influence, self-efficacy, and adjustment problems, and caritas 7 focused on teaching and applying relaxation exercises to enhance coping mechanisms. The second group was the control group. Both groups received in-vitro fertilization every 14-18 days and the women would come to be interviewed every two to three days. The intervention group interviews were organized according to the notes that were taken during the 45-90 minute interviews. The intervention group’s interviews included active listening techniques, empathy, touching, expressions of prior experiences of infertility, providing social support, promoting and accepting positive and negative feelings, encouragement, empowerment, motivation, and positive
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.
Incorporating these theories into the everyday practice of nurses has developed a stronger and more advanced nursing discipline. The knowledge that the theorists shared strengthens the fundamentals of nursing concepts, values and beliefs that is being taught to each and every nursing generation to come. As a nurse, and someone who has sustained sleepless nights providing bedside care to the weak, frail and dying, practicing nursing through the components of nursing models in order reach an over all goal has been my struggle. Without theories, nursing would not be as advanced as it is scientifically, which would not benefit the
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
Nursing theories developed by scientists provide a framework for the process of establishing nursing as a profession with a specific body of knowledge including nursing language, and nurse is able to communicate inside in and outside of the profession. Theory supports and defines nursing practice and is used in practice situation to provide solution to the problem, provides guidelines in patient’s quality care, and helps to resolve nursing challenges. The benefits of middle-range theories found primarily in the research studies to address particular client population, in education, patient
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...
The nursing profession is considered both an art and a science. An example of the science of nursing is the theory and evidence based practice guidelines (EBP), which influence a nurses practice. The art of nursing is fluid of bringing science and patient care into nursing practice. Nurses in all levels of nursing educational programs should study nursing theory. According to Eun-Ok (2015) theory evaluation has declined and it is essential to developing nursing knowledge; which, leads to the development of nursing discipline. Nursing theory should be continually evolving as current health care trends evolve. The best way to accomplish this is through incorporating theory in academia and nursing
Jean Watson is a well-respected American nursing theorist who created the Theory on Human Caring. Watson’s concept on caring for a human being is simple, yet has much depth and meaning, and holds strong for nurses to work with compassion, wisdom, love, and caring. The Theory on Human Caring is necessary for every nurse, as it is our job to care for others in a genuine and sensitive way. The theory is extensive; its core foundation is based on nine concepts all interrelated and primarily focused on a nurse giving a patient care with compassion, wisdom, love, and caring (Watson, J., 1999). The nine essential aspects consist of: values, faith-hope, sensitivity, trust, feelings, decision-making, teaching-learning, environment, and human needs. Watson also created the Caritas Process consists of ten different ways of giving care:
Parker M. E., & Smith M. C. (2010). Nursing theories and nursing practice (3rd ed.).
What is caring? In any healthcare profession caring is an important concept, but what does it really mean to care? Opinions on the meaning of caring vary depending on the person and the situation. It seems that most people think of caring differently than nurses do, and nurses think of caring differently than other healthcare workers. Which arises another question, is caring in nursing different than other healthcare disciplines? What does it mean to care as a nurse? Why is caring important in nursing? After speaking to friends and family I have heard many different thoughts on what caring is believed to be defined as.
Later Watson explained that this work was an attempt to solve some conceptual and empirical problems, with no intention to create a theory. This theory was expanded and formalized in her next book in 1985. Since then, Watson continued to refine her ideas through various publications. At this time, the major conceptual elements of the theory are ten Clinical Caritas Processes (originally Carative factors), Transpersonal Caring Relationship, Caring Moment/Occasion and Caring Consciousness. According to Watson’s theory, the human care process is performed through a Transpersonal Caring Relationship guided by the Carative factors, which are based on humanistic – altruistic value systems.
When I became a nurse, in my heart, I knew that I was a caring person; however, I did not have a caring theory driving my practice. After studying Watson’s Human Caring Science Theory, the theory is consistent with my values, which emphasizes a holistic approach with mind, body, and spirit through a caring nurse patient relationship in an environment that promotes healing, comfort, and dignity. Human Caring Science gives the privilege of viewing human life with wonder, respect, and appreciates small and large miracles, which allows the inner world of the patient and nurse to come together in a unique human relationship, in the here and now moment (Watson, 2012, p. 24).
To make good nursing decisions, nurses require an internal roadmap with knowledge of nursing theories. Nursing theories, models, and frameworks play a significant role in nursing, and they are created to focus on meeting the client’s needs for nursing care. According to McEwen and Wills (2014), conceptual models and theories could create mechanisms, guide nurses to communicate better, and provide a “systematic means of collecting data to describe, explain, and predict” about nursing and its practice (p. 25). Most of the theories have some common concepts; others may differ from one theory to other. This paper will evaluate two nursing theorists’ main theories include Sister Callista Roy’s
Nursing theories are actions care that a nurse provides to a patient to prevent a sickness, maintain and promote health. Many of the theorists contribute to a frame work or a blueprint of how nurses should provide care to patients. Many these theories are part of nursing care and most of them they go hand in hand. Nursing theory aims to describe, predict and explain the phenomenon of nursing (Chinn and Jacobs1978).Nursing is apprehensive with laws and principles governing the life processes and functioning of sick or well human beings. Nursing theories are beneficial in understanding the knowledge of nursing and its application (Smith and Liehr, 2008).
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).