The Theory of Caring: A Reflective Analysis on Nursing Practice

This essay provides a detailed exploration of the Theory of Caring, focusing on its application in nursing practice through a reflective analysis of a personal experience caring for a patient with stage 3 cancer. The narrative illustrates the importance of developing a therapeutic relationship with patients, emphasizing communication, empathy, and respect for autonomy and dignity. The essay connects person-centered care principles with bioethical considerations and nursing practice standards, highlighting the significance of addressing psychological and social factors alongside biological determinants of health. It reflects on the value of evidence-based practices and the establishment of strong nurse-patient bonds built on trust and mutual respect, ultimately advocating for a holistic approach to nursing that prioritizes patient well-being and satisfaction. Desklib offers a platform to access this and many other solved assignments and past papers.

Running head: THEORY OF CARING
THEORY OF CARING
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Description:
Once, I got an opportunity to care for a patient who was suffering from stage 3 cancer in
a healthcare centre in my hometown. Initially, the patient named Mike was not at all comfortable
with me and did not coordinate with me in the care process. I also faced huge issues in the initial
days as I could not understand why he was so withdrawn from the treatment and why he did not
open up to me. We were providing him all forms of interventions that needed to be provided but
he never participated in the care. I realized that in this way, it would never be possible for me to
provide him with holistic care that is very much important to ensure better quality life.
Therefore, I focused on developing a therapeutic relationship with him so that he gradually opens
up to me. I involved him in extensive communication sessions which included of discussion on
both informal and formal topics. I talked with him on various topics like from his favorite sports
to favorite foods to his famous holiday destinations. Through these discussions along with active
listening skills and exhibiting empathy and compassion to his present state of life, I was able to
develop rapport with him. This relationship was based on mutual trust where I showed respect to
his autonomy and dignity and this made him feel respected and cared. It was after these many
days that he revealed that he had understood he would never survive and so he never participated
in the care. This information helped me understand that he had misconceptions about his health
which had made him depressed as well as anxious about his fate of life. I educated him stating
that proper treatments and lifestyle modifications can help in saving stage 3 patients and making
them live longer lives. To these, he seemed happy and from that day onwards, he started
participating in his care process and his health gradually recovered.

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Concepts of caring and links with nursing practice
Person centred care guides nursing professionals to develop care plans and interventions
where service users are made equal partners in planning, developing as well as monitoring of the
care to make sure that all their needs are met (Kogan et al., 2016). It mainly means that nurses
have the duties of putting both people as well as their families in the centre of decision making
sessions and sees them as experts. Service users and families should be given the authority in
working alongside the professionals in the healthcare team so that the best health outcomes are
achieved.
Studies are of the opinion that person centred care is associated with many positive
outcomes. When nurses follow person centred care and thereby includes the patients encouraging
them to participate and vocalise their wishes and needs, the patients feel respected and cared.
The patients feel that their autonomy and dignity are respected. Autonomy and dignity are two
bioethical principles that advise nurses to put the needs and wishes of the patients first and to
respect their human rights (Wildevuur & Simonse, 2015). While being in the position of nursing
process, following bioethical principles is a must to ensure quality and safe care to patients and
to avoid ethical and legal obligation. When patients feel this way, they feel much happier and
their adherence with the treatment increases. Person-centred care makes patients feel empowered
when they think that they are capable enough of taking their own decisions. Therefore, their self
coping capabilities and self management abilities are also seen to get much developed and that
have positive outcomes on their health (Fan et al., 2016). The patients are seen to feel much
satisfied and their compliance with treatments increases. While caring for Mike, I ensured that I
involve him in every of the decisions taken for him by the healthcare team. I showed respect to
him and gave him full authority to take his own decisions. He started feeling involved in the care

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process and also revealed much information that proved to be crucial for the treatment.
Gradually, his adherence to interventions and his response and participation in the healthcare
process also increased.
According to Jean Watson, the core principles of caring is ensuring practices of loving-
kindness and equanimity along with ensuring authentic presence for the patient making the
patients believe that nurses are really present with the patient in the situation (Alligood, 2017).
The caring process is not only comprised of ensuring person centred care and following the
nursing process of maintaining ethics and laws while caring for patients. It also includes proper
maintenance of the standards of practice that had been proposed by professional bodies like that
of NMBA to ensure safe and quality care is provided. The standard “2” talks about engaging of
the nurse in therapeutic and professionals relationships (NMBA, 2016). While working with
Mike, I ensured that I develop good rapport with him and engage in a therapeutic relationship
with him. These standard talks about the importance of developing good rapport with patients
and engaging him in his own care, communicating effectively with him in respectful manner,
mainly in aspects of dignity, values, cultures and others. Studies are of the opinion that when
nurses are able to develop string bond with the patient, the patient starts trusting the professionals
and this makes the patient participate in his care and reveal information to professionals which
might be found crucial for treatment (Wolff et al., 2015). These bonds also ensure patients that
the nurses are genuinely caring for them and that they are trying their best to cure him. This
reduced anxiety and stress among patients and these have positive health outcomes. Another one
is standard “3” that talks about maintaining the capability of practice (NMBA, 2016). It includes
aspects like considering and responding to all in a timely manner to ensure their well-being. It
also talks about providing information and education required to enhance people’s control over

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their health. I shared information with Mike in detailed manner that helped in developing his
health literacy. Information sharing reduces misconceptions and develops health literacy and
thereby reduces anxiety in patients making patients more participative in care.
New understandings of professional caring (Heading)
Figure: Nursing is all about making patients feeling satisfied through developing a close bond
with them
Source: Arnold et al., 2015
The specific care episode that I had with Mike had helped me develop a deeper insights
of the main foundation of nursing. Nursing is much more than identifying patient disorders and
providing interventions and developing care plan process. Only identifying the biological
determinants of health and then designing care plan can never ensure holistic care to the patients

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and hence the patient might not have best quality life (Fan et al., 2016). It is important for nurses
to identify their psychological issues as well as social factors that are affecting their lives besides
the biological determinants and only then holistic care can be ensured that would provide high
quality life for patients. Evidence based practices help nurses to identify the present trends,
discoveries and innovation in healthcare industries today and thereby allow them to hose the best
options that would benefit the patients most (Grassi et al., 2019). Evidence based practices have
already found that bio-psycho-social model of care have better health outcomes than bio-medical
model of care. Therefore, in my nursing practice also in the future, I would not be focusing
only on biological aspects but also on psychological and social determinants of health to
provide best care services. In case of Mike, I initially followed the biomedical aspect which
prevented me from identifying the real issue behind his non-participatory actions. After I realized
his psychological issues, only then I could help him get over anxiety and live better quality life.
This is an important aspect of professional life that I have realized from the case.
Another important fact that I realized is the strength of therapeutic relationship
development with the Mike. Therapeutic relationship development is an important aspect of
peers centered care that helps in ensuring a strong bond between nurses and patients built in
trust and mutual respect. This makes the care process much easier when patients themselves
become active participants in their care (Jones, 2018). When patients are communicated with
empathy and compassion and they listen to patients actively, patients feel respected and pleased
feeling that professionals are aware of their suffering. This helps in developing emotional
attachment but within the professional boundary with the patient that increases their adherence
with treatment (Arnold & boggs, 2015). I have realized that effective communication skills are

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not helpful in personal lives to but also help in ensuring patient satisfaction as well. I believe this
is one of the man pillars to successful patient outcomes in healthcare centers.

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References:
Alligood, M. R. (2017). Nursing theorists and their work. Elsevier Health Sciences. Retrieved
from: https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=l7stDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Nursing+theorists+and+their+w
ork.+&ots=yVuI0RQJgf&sig=lBM-k4P9tj4JzwgiTo1c6M9qSbg#v=onepage&q=Nursing
%20theorists%20and%20their%20work.&f=false
Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2015). Interpersonal relationships: Professional communication
skills for nurses. Elsevier Health Sciences. Retrieved from:
https://books.google.co.in/books?
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+Professional+communication+skills+for+nurses.&ots=uYwzRYyvYs&sig=qmKeC4pF
wYhYbleLucSrcKWcB2c#v=onepage&q=Interpersonal%20relationships%3A
%20Professional%20communication%20skills%20for%20nurses.&f=false
Clark, C. (2016). Watson’s human caring theory: Pertinent transpersonal and humanities
concepts for educators. Humanities, 5(2), 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/h5020021
Fan, C. W., & Taylor, R. (2016). Quality of a Theory-Based Assessment to Measure Therapeutic
Communication Styles During Rehabilitation. American Journal of Occupational
Therapy, 70(4_Supplement_1), 7011500070p1-7011500070p1.
doi:10.5014/ajot.2016.70S1-PO6072
Grassi, L., Wise, T., Cockburn, D., Caruso, R., & Riba, M. B. (2019). Psychosomatic and
Biopsychosocial Medicine: Body-Mind Relationship, Its Roots, and Current Challenges.

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In Person Centered Approach to Recovery in Medicine (pp. 19-36). Springer, Cham.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74736-1_2
Kogan, A. C., Wilber, K., & Mosqueda, L. (2016). Person‐centered care for older adults with
chronic conditions and functional impairment: A systematic literature review. Journal of
the American Geriatrics Society, 64(1), e1-e7.
Nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au, 2016, Registered nurse standards of Practice, NMBA,
Retrieved from: https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/codes-guidelines-
statements/professional-standards/registered-nurse-standards-for-practice.aspx
Wildevuur, S. E., & Simonse, L. W. (2015). Information and communication technology–
enabled person-centered care for the “big five” chronic conditions: scoping
review. Journal of medical Internet research, 17(3). doi: 10.2196/jmir.3687
Wolff, J. L., & Boyd, C. M. (2015). A look at person-centered and family-centered care among
older adults: results from a national survey. Journal of general internal medicine, 30(10),
1497-1504. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-015-3359-6

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