Commentary on Shattell M (2004) Nurse-patient interaction: a review of the literature. Journal of Clinical Nursing 13, 714-722 (original) (raw)

Caring Connection: The Essentiality of Nursing in the Human Health Experience

2014

Caring has been recognized as being central to nursing practice. Potter and Perry (2001) defined caring as a universal phenomenon that influences the ways in which people think, feel, and behave in relation to one another. Caring has always been an essential part of nursing. The word nursing has always been connected to caring and nurses has always been known as caregivers for the sick. Unlike the impression in the 1800’s about nurses as just merely physician’s assistant, nursing nowadays is linked to caring which requires an investment of self by the nurse – physically, emotionally, mentally and even spiritually. Benner cited in Potter & Perry (2001) defined caring which means that persons, events, projects, and things matter to people. But caring does not only mean taking care or putting attention to a client. The nurse’s empathy and compassion should become a natural part of the daily encounter with the client. Benner and Wrubel cited in Potter & Perry (2001) relate the story of ...

The Conundrum of Caring in Nursing

2016

Caring as a universal human attribute has withstood the test of time. Caring was proven integral and weaved through the profession of nursing as the very foundation upon which the fundamentals and principles of nursing practice are grounded. The environment, political climate, complexities of patient care, escalating nursing workloads and advanced technologies has changed significantly since Florence Nightingale’s day and has challenged the practice and genuineness of caring in many regards. It is possible to surmise that the lack of clarity and visible disagreement between nursing theorists has weakened the importance and necessity of caring in the nursing profession. However, the construct of caring remains critical to the nursing profession perhaps even more so now than in the past and it is up to us as respectful, compassionate and professional nurses to help ensure that caring in nursing surpasses these turbulent times and remains at the forefront of nursing practice.

Registered nurses’ descriptions of caring: a phenomenographic interview study

BMC Nursing, 2015

Background: Nursing has come a long way since the days of Florence Nightingale and even though no consensus exists it would seem reasonable to assume that caring still remains the inner core, the essence of nursing. In the light of the societal, contextual and political changes that have taken place during the 21st century, it is important to explore whether these might have influenced the essence of nursing. The aim of this study was to describe registered nurses' conceptions of caring.

Patients’ and Nurses’ Perceptions of Importance of Caring Nurse–Patient Interactions: Do They Differ?

Healthcare

Nurse–patient interaction is a professional and therapeutic relationship created to enable nurses to assess, plan, and deliver health care aimed at meeting patients’ basic human needs. The main aim of this study was to identify distinctive characteristics and differences in perceptions between patients and nurses related to the importance of caring interactions and to examine the contribution of independent variables in explaining their perceptions. A total of 446 respondents were included in the research (291 patients and 155 registered nurses). Data were collected using the translated and standardized 70-item version of the Caring Nurse–Patient Interactions Scale (CNPI-70) version for patients and version for nurses. According to the overall CNPI-70 scale, there was a significant difference in patients’ and nurses’ perception (p < 0.001). Patients assessed caring nurse–patient interactions significantly higher (4.39) than nurses (4.16). Additionally, nurses assessed all subscal...

Nurse–patient relationship: A dichotomy of expectations

International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 2003

The nurse-patient relationship has traditionally been viewed as the essence of nursing practice. This paper disputes that the ideals of such a relationship occur effortlessly in nursing practice. Findings from a phenomenological study of individuals hospitalized with a depressive illness found that a therapeutic relationship did not come instinctively to the mental health nurses, and that there was a dichotomy between the close relationship expected by patients and the distant relationship provided by nurses. It is unclear whether nurses' distancing behaviour was as a result of the participant's depressive illness, a normal part of nursing practice, or whether other features such as nurses' workloads were an influencing factor. Further research is required to explore this issue.

An integral philosophy and definition of nursing

Journal of Integral Theory and Practice, 2007

A unifying meta-theory of nursing is suggested, building from the foundation of the AQAL framework. A definition of nursing as situated caring is presented, along with a historical discussion of nursing epistemology and theory for context. Implications for practice, education, and research are also discussed. A unifying meta-theory will enable nurses at both the practical and academic levels to appreciate the complexity and simplicity of nursing, allowing them to articulate confidently what we do and why we do it.