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Importance of theories in nursing practice
Applying theory to nursing practice
Applying theory to nursing practice
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Watson’s Caring Theory and Advanced Practice Nurses 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 …show more content…
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 …show more content…
The APRN listens and engages with the patient as care and compassion take place. As the nurse discerns what the patient’s needs are and considers obstacles to achieving optimal care the application of theory is necessary as the process is not always quantifiable. The APRN who does not learn nursing theory may focus primarily on EBP and miss this engagement opportunity with the patient. One may prescribe medication; however, if the patient does not take the medication, then the nurse assumes the patient is noncompliant. The application of Watson’s themes where appropriate helps the APRN discern how to help the patient become compliant. It is necessary to care for the patient outside of the idea of only providing care to understand the obstacle in that patients circumstances and reach improved patient outcomes to any disease
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.
Dr. Jean Watson's theory focused on love with the attention to values, the strong and trusting relationship she developed and maintained with her patients, the ability to care and be understanding of other people with different backgrounds and cultures and a respect for a science and multiple means of acquiring information. Dr. Watson's theory has a reflective and meditative approach to nursing that entailed looking at a patient's situation and condition through a holistic approach. Dr. Watson's theory had a basic focus on caring that extended from her patients to helping the universe as a whole.
The curriculum of nursing school is generally built on one or more specific conceptual models or concepts (McEwen, & Brown, 2002). Nursing school has proliferated and preparing nurses from associate degree to doctoral level. Nurses prepared at each nursing level can be involved with nursing theory. At doctoral level, nurses are apprehensive with science philosophy which discussed on nature of knowledge and how it is known, the philosophy of nursing science, invention of nursing knowledge, theory testing and research projects to develop new theory. At master level, nurses can be a primary provider in the advanced practice and apply theoretical perspectives which focused on client for specific nursing outcomes. Next, research process and use
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
Every person’s needs must be recognized, respected, and filled if he or she must attain wholeness. The environment must attuned to that wholeness for healing to occur. Healing must be total or holistic if health must be restored or maintained. And a nurse-patient relationship is the very foundation of nursing (Conway et al 2011; Johnson, 2011). The Theory recognizes a person’s needs above all. It sets up the conducive environment to healing. It addresses and works on the restoration and maintenance of total health rather than only specific parts or aspect of the patient’s body or personality. And these are possible only through a positive healing relationship between the patient and the nurse (Conway et al, Johnson).
Nursing theory can be applied to resolve nursing problems or issues, irrespective of the field of practice. A nursing theory benefits nurses and the patients that are in his or her charge. . Depending on the issue or problem that is needed to be solved determines what theory needs to be used. Nursing theory started with Florence Nightingale. She believed that a clean environment would promote better health. Virginia Henderson’s need theory emphasizes the need to ensure that the patient’s independence is being increased while in a health care facility. Ensuring that a patient can increase his or her independence allows for them to experience better outcomes upon discharge home. This is just two examples of nursing theories that were used
Concern for the well-being of others is paramount to high-quality nursing care delivery. The philosophy of this writer revolves around the outward expression of this concern. A patient’s reassurance of being cared about is the purpose of this philosophy. If a patient senses that they are cared for, they are more prone to heal, instead of worry which detracts from healing. This is relevant, as, if a patient does not feel cared for they will often, if they are able, leave against medical advice, or attempt to take their health into their own hands which thwarts the efforts of their health care team. Conscientious implementations are essential for effective nurse patient relationships. Catastrophic patient
When a nurse is providing patient care, he/she creates a safe environment for the patient and enables the choice to establish a relationship on a human to human interaction or on a transpersonal level. The patient will be acknowledged as a person with the wholeness of their soul despite their illness or number on the bed. The ten carative factors in this theory are used as an education tool for nurses around the world and should be applied to the different care situations in practice. Nurses use the factors to promote growth in themselves and within the patient. A nurse should respect the patient’s decisions and take the time to fully be present in the moments with the patient. A lot of nurses complain about the time limitations they have and do not provide the necessary amount of time to listen and gather the patient’s perspective of the situation. Another way this theory can be applied to practice is by recognizing the caring moment between you and the patient. This will determine how the relationship will
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)
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
When nursing theory was introduced it solidified nursing as a profession, created a need for research and education and revolutionized nursing practice (McEwen, 2011). Nursing theories provide additional education which creates a cause and effect relationship to support research and improve patient care (Hountras, 2015). Without nursing theories, patient care would be that of unsanitary conditions and unstructured patient care with repeated outcomes regardless
Nursing theory can be used to empower nurses by giving autonomy and improve skills. With the rise of healthcare, administrative decisions involving nurses could have a negative effect on patient care. There are four concepts that make up the nursing metaparadigm, person, environment, health and nursing and act as the model for nursing care. All theories in the nursing practice proves valuable within the profession but may vary between different theorists depending on what their beliefs are. Some theorists can view the same situation entirely different. Both Rogers and Neuman were theorist that developed theories for viewing and caring for patients but in two different ways. Professionalization, coherence, and enhanced communication are three arguments when determining the importance of theory in nursing. Multi-disciplinary nursing becomes necessary to achieve positive patient
Research has demonstrated that nursing practice guided by theory from a perspective of nursing and caring has shown “improved patient and nurse satisfaction, and improvement in institutional reputation.” (Dyess et al., 2013, p. 167) Nursing theories specifically are created and shaped to describe this phenomenon called nursing. Afaf Meleis defines nursing theory as “a conceptualization of some aspect of nursing reality communicated for the purpose of describing phenomena, explaining relationships between phenomena, predicting consequences, or prescribing nursing care.” (Meleis, 2012, chap.
Nursing theories are critical for education and practice. The theories suppose to provide a foundation for general knowledge and assist in practice. Thus, healthcare professionals, managers, and patients recognize the unique healthcare service. However,