Theory Of Caring And Nursing Practice

For centuries the development of nursing knowledge has been influenced by numerous theorists and their respective theories. These theories have influenced, and continue to influence, nursing education, practice and research. (Johnson & Webber, 2005)

Nursing theories have been a fundamental tool used to explain, guide and improve the practice of nursing. Theorists have contributed enormously to the growth of nursing as a profession. The four grand theorists I chose are Virginia Henderson, Peplau, Myra Levine and Jean Watson. These theorists have contributed tremendously in the field of nursing through their theories, and research. One thing the theorists have in common is that they are patient centered. They are all concerned on ways we can improve our responsibility to the patients, their families and the environment. They have different ideas but they are all aiming towards achieving the same goal, which is patient satisfaction and safety. Their differences are in their areas of

Caring is the foundation of nursing. Caring attribute is the essential modules to provide patients with the best care possible. The caring attribute of nursing consist of 6 c’s but this essay will focus on four C’s (compassion, competence, commitment and confident). Compassion is the ability of showing empathy towards patient. Competence is having the knowledge to produce a successful care. Commitment consists of taking a pledge towards patient and their care. Confidence is the process of gaining trust with a patient. These attribute requires practice all the way through the treatment stages. The positive outcomes of these attribute promotes good patient and colleague relationships with a healthier environment for everyone. For a well superiority of care, caring attributes need to be practiced by health professions at all times. Nursing attribute is an important factor to have as a personal and a professional quality. Attribute is a significant factor in the health profession.

The metaparadigm of nursing consists of four parts comprised by Jacqueline Fawcett, in 1984, in her seminal work (Alligood, 2014). The metaparadigm she developed served to provide direction and guidance for the nursing framework already in use and became an organization tool for theories already in use (Alligood, 2014). The four parts being person, health, environment, and nursing. The four components of the metaparadigm concept of nursing is important to nursing theory because they are the key areas of focus of patient care, and the metaparadigm is designed to differentiate nursing from other specialties (Alligood, 2014). It is this use of theories that makes nursing a profession and guides professional nursing practice, research, and education (Alligood, 2014).

The nursing profession has progressed greatly since it roots with Florence Nightingale, moving from reliance upon total medical direction for providing basic care and “the first duty of the nurse it that of obedience-absolute fidelity to his orders, even if the necessity of the prescribed measures is not apparent, you have no responsibility beyond that of faithfully carrying out the directions received” (Jennifer C. Telford), into an autonomous practice with its own nursing theory practices, models, and interventions.

Personal theory and philosophies are important for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) to help care for patients and their career. According to the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2010) an “APRNs are registered nurses (RN) who have acquired advanced specialized clinical knowledge and skills to provide health care” (p. 112). APRN is a general term used to describe certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse midwife, clinical nurse specialist, and nurse practitioners (NP) (ANA, 2010). For the purpose of this paper and my personal theory and philosophy, I will focus on the NP as the APRN. NPs are able to perform comprehensive assessments and promote health and prevention of illness and injuries (ANA, 2010). The ANA’s concepts of health promotion and disease prevention have helped shape my personal theory and aided in identifying a theory for my future practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). The best theory to guide my practice will be Nola J. Pender’s health promotion model (HPM). By using Pender’s HPM, it will allow me to identify each patient as an individual with different needs for health promotion and disease management.

The activities include physical and occupational therapy, nutrition counseling, and case management ("Community Health Nursing," 2013).

It is evident that nursing theorists, scholars and health care professions have varying interpretations of what caring is or should be. In the middle of all these disparity, caring is a vital component of the nursing practice and the key to choosing the concept of caring is because it is very essential when it comes to health care. This paper tries to make clear the concept of caring in the field of nursing and it makes use of the Walker and Avant outline to support the concept. It starts with recognizing the concept and its functions. It then identifies three emerging attributes of caring will be identified and a description of each will be given. At last, the paper will recognize antecedents, the effects or consequences and

The purpose of this paper is to present a personal belief about the metaparadigm of nursing and to incorporate it into that of Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring.

Mayeroff believed caring for another person requires empathy. He describes being with the patient as: feeling, seeing, sensing things from the patient’s point of view but not losing yourself or your identity. So you can be aware that fear is there, not being scared yourself but being able to help the other person not to be afraid. Secondly, he felt you have to ‘be there’ for the other person: being responsive and available to the others needs especially in times of ill health. Then ‘being for’ the other person: wanting them to grow in their own right (Mayeroff,

A healing hospital is a healing community providing radical loving care (Journal of Sacred Work, 2009) in a safe environment that focuses on human interaction, interpersonal caring and enhancing the wellbeing of patients, caregivers, and all other members of the healing community. While a healing hospital is, of course, dedicated to providing excellent medical care to its patients (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, 2012), it is also dedicated to integrating work design and technology (Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, 2012), and ultimately to the overall wellness of every healing community member. Using physical healing, education and supportive human interaction, this care model seeks healing on physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels for everyone involved in the process (Zarren, n.d., pp. 1-2). The success of this model requires the cooperation of every

One of the complexities of 21st century medicine is the evolution of nursing care theories in combination with a changing need and expectation of the stakeholder population. Nurses must be advocates and communicators, but must balance these along with an overall philosophy of ethics while still remaining mindful of budgets and the need for the medical institution to be profitable. It seems as if these issues comprise a three-part template for nursing: respect for patient value & individuality, education of patients, and cognition and respect for the realities of contemporary medicine. In many ways, too, modern technology has advanced further than societal wisdom, especially when confronting the issue of death. The modern nurse's role is to create a nurse-patient culture that encourages the individual to take responsibility for their healthcare and, in partnership with the nurse, to be involved in their recovery. The modern complexities of healthcare, then, when combined, focus us towards a multidimensional template (combining at least psychology, biology and philosophy) (Beckstead and Beckstead, 2004).

According to Anazor (2012), the transformation in health care delivery system mandates nurses to advance their role identity by leading the delivery of care instead of being confined to performing traditional nursing care activities. This assumption was supported by Galuska (2012) arguing that for nurses to serve as leaders, the creation of supportive healthy work environment which empower and engage nurses in care decision-making and risk taking must be cultivated. Additionally, Raiskila et al (2016) commenting on the role of nurses in promoting the well-being of their patients argue that some neonatal nurses in NICU around the world played a vital role in transforming care culture to a developmentally based one . Neonatal nurses worldwide exerted remarkable effort in transforming care by involving parents in their infant care and assisted them in responding to infant developmental needs individually (Raiskila et al, 2016). As authors proclaimed, this change in care delivery led by nurses, had a positive impact on the infant neurodevelopment and maternal-child separation. Moreover, Hall, Philips, and Hynan (2016) highlighted that neonatal nurse has long been acting as leaders within NICU evident through their participation in many quality improvement projects which enhanced pain management in neonates and amended provision of family-centered care and DC.

Kristen M. Swanson RN, PhD, FAAN derives her Theory of Caring from the works of multiple nursing scholars, combined with empirical evidence and phenomenological investigations, to create a middle-range theory applicable to almost any healthcare setting (Swanson, 1991). The middle-range theory evolved partially due to Dr. Swanson’s doctoral studies under Dr. Jean Watson (Wojnar, 2014, p. 689). Dr. Swanson’s theory contains a perinatal background, initially developed specifically in attempt to explain miscarriage experiences (Wojnar, 2014). By conducting three different studies involving three different perspectives, Dr. Swanson was able to establish and define five concepts, caring processes, critical to her theory (Swanson, 1998). The three perspectives investigated by Dr. Swanson were women who miscarried, NICU caregivers, and at-risk mothers. With each study, her definitions of the five caring processes evolved (Swanson, 1991).

Introduction: Introduces the theory, purpose of the paper, and provides rationale for selecting the theory.