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Watson's Theory Of Human Caring Analysis

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The idea of the reflective person can also be seen in the caring literature. Watson (1985), in her Theory of Human Caring, refers to person as ‘a ‘‘being-in-the-world’’ who possesses three spheres of being – mind, body and soul – that are influenced by the concept of self’ (p. 54). Similarly, Boykin and Schoenhofer’s (1993) theory of nursing as caring describes personhood as that which implies ‘living out who we are, demonstrating congruence between beliefs and behaviours and living the meaning of one’s life’ (p. 8). The patient-centred, client-centred, person-centred care literature also reflects this ideal, generally focusing on what it means tobe a person and how that is taken into account in caring interactions (McCormack 2001, Nolan et …show more content…

Fundamental to this way of working is the value placed on the nurse–patient relationship. McCormack (2001) suggests that the nurse–patient relationship must take into account who the patient is as a person and how this impacts on the understandings and expectations within that particular relationship. Implicit in all of this is the importance of getting to know the person. This is a theme that has characterised the concept of caring and has been identified through concept analysis, as a critical attribute (McCance et al. 1997). The need to understand self and others was also from a concept analysis undertaken by Brilowski and Wendler (2005), but was identified as an antecedent (needs to be present for caring to occur), as opposed to a critical attribute. Similarly, McCormack (2004), who explored personcentredness and how this applies to gerontological nursing, suggests that knowing what the patient values about his/her life and how he/she makes sense of events (being with self) is one of the core concepts at the heart of …show more content…

In summary, the framework comprises four constructs. Prerequisites focus on the attributes of the nurses and include: being professionally competent; having developed interpersonal skills; being committed to the job; being able to demonstrate clarity of beliefs and values; andknowing self. The care environment focuses on the context in which care is delivered and include: appropriate skill mix; systems that facilitate shared decision making; effective staff relationships; organisational systems that are supportive; the sharing of power; and the potential for innovation and risk taking. Person-centred processes focus on delivering care through a range of activities and include: working with patient’s beliefs and values; engagement; having sympathetic presence; sharing decision making; and providing for physical needs. Outcomes, the central component of the framework, are the results of effective PCN and include: satisfaction with care; involvement in care; feeling of well-being; and creating a therapeutic environment. The relationship between the constructs suggest that to deliver positive outcomes for patients and staff account must be taken of the prerequisites and the care environment, which are necessary for providing effective

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