Caring in Nursing

1. Caring in Nursing

2. Caring is Universal • Influences the way people think, feel and act • Many nursing theorists have tired to “define” caring – Nightingale was first • Caring is the heart of nursing

3. Benner (Holistic Theory) • Equates excellent nursing practice with CARING • People, events, projects (things) have importance • Caring means connectedness or involvement • Caring helps patients understand and adjust to illness

4. Benner, con’t. • Defines health as a state of being • Individualized by one’s • Values • Personality • Lifestyle • Treatment for illness is worthless if not applied to the individual

5. Leininger (Transcultural) • Caring is the essence of Nursing – it is a distinguishing characteristic • Purpose of care is to assist the individual toward improvement in condition • Caring is • Nurturing • Dependent on needs of individual • Must reflect the patient’s own culture

6. Watson (Transpersonal) • Holistic • Patient, family, environment • Nurses exhibit conscious decision to care • This helps patient toward healing and wholeness • Focus in on cAre, not cUre • cAring “inner healing” health • Nurse & patient affected by relationship

7. Swanson • Caring is has 5 dimensions • Knowing • Being with • Doing for • Enabling • Maintaing belief • Caring is central to nursing • Theory can be applied to clinical setting

8. Caring is Relational • Patients value nurse Effectiveness • Ability to perform tasks • Also value nurse Affect • Attitude or demeanor while performing the tasks • Patients are more willing to participate if they sense that they are cared about

9. Ethic of Care • Protects human dignity • Often perceived as a moral imperative • Requires awareness of potential unequality in relationships • This due to either real or perceived “power” that patient assigns to the nurse • Knowledge is power

10. Expressions of Care • Spiritual • Being aware of & honoring patient’s beliefs • Presence • Being there • Physically present • Demonstrating understanding • Being with • Sharing oneself

11. Touch • Skin-to-skin • Eye contact (nonverbal) • Protective – to prevent injury • Listening • Taking in patient information • Interpreting what has been taken in

12. Knowing • Understanding the client • Understanding the planned interventions • Avoid making assumptions • Focuses on client