Nursing Theories of Caring

Theoretical Views on Caring

• Caring is primary in nursing practice
• Leininger's Transcultural Caring theory focuses on cultural differences in caring
• Watson's Transpersonal Caring theory emphasizes the importance of empathy and compassion
• Swanson's Theory of Caring highlights the importance of knowing the patient's context and individualizing interventions

Patient's Perspective of Caring

• Patients value the affective dimension of nursing care
• Caring Assessment Tool measures patients' perceptions of caring
• Patients become active partners in the plan of care when they sense that healthcare providers are sensitive, sympathetic, and compassionate

Ethic of Care

• Caring is an interaction of mutual respect and trust
• An ethic of care is concerned with relationships between people and a nurse's character and attitude toward others

Caring in Nursing Practice

• Caring is one of those human behaviors that can be given and received
• Recognizing the importance of self-care is crucial for nurses
• Using caring behaviors to reach out to colleagues and care for them is essential

Providing Presence

• Providing presence is a person-to-person encounter conveying a closeness and sense of caring
• Presence involves "being there" and "being with"
• Establishing presence strengthens the ability to provide effective patient-centered care

Touch

• Touch provides comfort and creates a connection
• Types of touch include noncontact touch, contact touch, task-oriented touch, caring touch, protective touch, and therapeutic touch
• Touch conveys many messages, so it should be used with discretion

Listening

• Listening is necessary for meaningful interactions with patients
• True listening leads to knowing and responding to what really matters to a patient and family
• To listen effectively, one needs to silence themselves and listen with an open mind

Knowing the Patient

• Knowing the patient is the core of clinical decision making and patient-centered care
• Factors that facilitate knowing include time, continuity of care, teamwork, trust, and experience

Spiritual Caring

• Spiritual health is achieved when a person can find a balance between their life values, goals, and beliefs and those of others
• Spirituality offers a sense of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal connectedness

Relieving Symptoms and Suffering

• Reducing symptoms and suffering requires caring nursing actions that give a patient comfort, dignity, respect, and peace
• Conveying a quiet, caring presence, touching a patient, or listening helps to assess and understand the meaning of a patient's discomfort

Family Care

• Caring for an individual includes caring for their family
• Nurses should help family caregivers be active participants
• Understanding the stress the patient's illness places on family members is essential

The Challenge of Caring

• Challenges to caring include the task-oriented biomedical model, institutional demands, time constraints, reliance on technology, cost-effective strategies, and standardized work processes
• Healthcare must become more compassionate to make a positive difference