Critical Analysis: Nursing Care for Cancer Patients

This essay critically examines the qualities, skills, and values of nurses that contribute to establishing and maintaining a caring and supportive relationship with cancer patients, referencing Jean Watson's theory of caring. The essay begins by highlighting the impact of cancer as a terminal illness and the importance of nursing care in patient recovery. It emphasizes the significance of nurses' attributes, including empathy, cultural competency, and understanding of the disease. The core of the essay focuses on Watson's theory, detailing its principles of loving-kindness, authentic presence, spiritual practice, creating a caring environment, and allowing miracles. The essay then discusses how nurses can apply Watson's theory to provide humanistic care, integrate patient needs, and address the various challenges associated with different types of cancer. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of the humanistic approach and the 6C's framework (compassion, communication, care, competence, courage, and commitment) in nursing care for cancer patients, highlighting the need for nurses to cultivate a caring relationship and address patients' emotional, psychological, and physical needs.

Running head: CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
Topic: With reference to one theory of caring critically discuss the qualities, skills and
values of nurses which contribute to the establishment and maintenance of a caring and
supportive relationship with people with cancer
As stated by Costello (2018), the advancements in the fields of science and technology
had helped the healthcare professionals to effectively cure the different health ailments faced by
the patients. Liu and Wang (2018) have noted that because of this aspect the healthcare
professionals are being able to adequately treat and also help the patients to recover from the
various terminal illnesses that they suffer from. However, the quality of medication or for that
matter the treatment facilities which are available to the patients are not the sole determinants of
the recovery process of the patients or their ability to get cured from the health ailments that they
suffer from (Yang and Gao 2019). In this regard, it needs to be said that the quality of nursing
care which is being offered to the patients is an important factor greatly influences the recovery
process of the patients or their ability to get cured from the health issues that they suffer from
(Nwozichi 2019). More importantly, it had been seen that the values, qualities, skill sets and the
other important attributes of the nurses or the care-givers are also important factors which
determine the quality of care which is being offered to the patients and thereby their ability to
recover from their health issues (Aktürk and Erci 2018). Furthermore, the prominence that the
concept of nursing care holds within the domain of healthcare also becomes apparent from the
fact that over the years different models of caring had gained prominence. These models or
theories of care need to be used by the nurses or the healthcare professionals depending on the
needs or the requirements of the patients. Jean Watson’s theory of care is an important one which
is being widely used by the nurses and the healthcare professionals for offering the required care
to the patients. The purpose of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the skills, qualities and

2CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
the values that the nurses need to have in order to care for the patients suffering from cancer
through the usage of Jean Watson’s theory of care.
Robinson et al. (2017) have stated that cancer in the present times had become one of the
most important terminal health ailments that the human beings commonly face. Adding to this,
Mendonça et al. (2018) have noted that cancer can be defined as a group of health ailments or
diseases which involves the abnormal growth of the cells of the body which had the potentiality
to spread or for that matter invade the other parts of the body of the individuals. This is in
complete contrast with the benign tumors or the other kinds of tumors which do not have the
potentiality to spread or for that matter invade the other body parts of the individuals. More
importantly, it had been seen that presently there are more than 100 types of cancer that the
human beings suffer from with the most common ones being blood cancer, skin cancer, breast
cancer, lung cancer and others (Sanson-Fisher et al. 2019). According to the report of Who.int
(2020), in the year 2019 more than 18.1 million people from all over the world suffered from this
particular disease and it was also one of the most terminal diseases in the year 2018 with more
than 9.6 million people dying from it. In this relation, it needs to be said that there are various
common symptoms of cancer however the most important ones are abnormal bleeding, lump,
unexplained weight loss, prolonged cough, changes in the bowel movement and others (Karlou
et al. 2016). Furthermore, as of now no effective or permanent cure for this particular terminal
disease have been found and in the absence of any concrete treatment method the processes of
radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery and other methods are generally being used (D’souza et
al. 2018). Thus, in the absence of any effective treatment methodology or cure, the patients often
have to rely on the effectiveness of the nursing care which is being offered to them by the nurses
for recovering from the disease under discussion here.

3CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
As discussed by Cavers et al. (2019), the nurses perform an integral role within the
healthcare treatment services which are being offered to the patients for recovering from the
different health ailments or the diseases that they suffer from. The nurses in order to offer the
best quality nursing care to the patients are required to possess different skills, qualities and
values (Al-Natour, Al Momani and Qandil 2017). The nurses using a humanistic approach for
offering the required care to the patients are likely to facilitate a speedy recovery of the patients
in comparison to the ones who do not use this approach (Hermosilla-Ávila and Sanhueza-
Alvarado 2019). In addition to this, all the major theories of nursing care emphasize on the
aspect of empathy which the nurses are required to have so as to offer the required care to the
patients. For instance, the nurses are required to think from the perspective of the patients and
also take into consideration their needs or requirements and thereby modify their care approach
to help the patients in the best possible manner (Murali 2020). More importantly, the nurses are
also required to have adequate amount of cultural competency for the purpose of caring for the
patients as per their needs or requirements. This can be explained on the basis of the fact that
people from different cultures follow different values, beliefs or traditions and these aspects in
turn dictate the treatment approach that they are most comfortable with (Strickland 2019). Along
with these aspects, the nurses are also required to have an effective understanding of the health
issues or the diseases faced by the patients so as to offer them the required care and it is precisely
here that the qualifications as well as the experience of the nurses comes into play.
Weaver et al. (2016) have observed that among the different theories or for that matter
the approaches to nursing care, Jean Watson’s theory of care is the one which had been most
extensively used by the nurses since its formulation. Cook and Peden (2017) have noted that the
prominence of Jean Watson’s theory of care lies in the fact while being widely used by the

4CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
different nurses or the healthcare professionals from all over the world, this particular theory of
care had also become an integral part of the educational curriculum of the different nursing
schools. In this relation, it needs to be said that Watson herself stated that this particular theory
of caring intends to take into account the “basic considerations of what it means to be human, to
be vulnerable, to be ill, to be cured, to be cared for, to be healthy, and to be healed” (Watson
2019). This humanistic nature of the theory of Watson as a matter of fact distinguishes the theory
from the other theories of caring which had been used by the nurses prior to its formulation and
in a way this particular theory of Watson as also be seen as her attempt to overcome the
limitations or for that matter the shortcomings of the earlier theories of care in nursing
(Blomberg et al. 2016). More importantly, this particular theory of nursing care shows the
transition from “Carative to Caritas” and requires the nurses to practices or to inculcate five
important principles. The five important principles that the nurses need to follow are “Practice of
loving-kindness and equanimity”, authentic presence, “Cultivation of one’s own spiritual
practice toward wholeness of mind/body/spirit—beyond ego”, “’Being’ the caring-healing
environment” and allowing miracles (Watson 2019).
As stated by Strickland (2019), the nurses taking the help of the Watson’s theory of care
are required to inculcate a loving, caring, ethical and moral relationship with the patients and
thereby address the health needs of the patients in a humanistic manner. Adding to this, Petrou et
al. (2017) have noted that the nurses taking the help of this particular theory of care are required
to inculcate a “transpersonal caring relationship” with the patients so as to offer the best quality
care and thereby help them to recover from the health issues or the diseases that they suffer from.
More importantly, the nurses as per this theory of care are required to ensure that under no
circumstances the human dignity, rights, values and other important attributes of the patients are

5CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
being violated by them whether intentionally or unintentionally (Costello 2018). In addition to
these, it had also been seen that the nurses using this particular theory are also being encouraged
to adopt a reflective or meditative approach for the offering the required care to the patients
(Nwozichi 2019). As a matter of fact, these aspects of the theory under discussion here were
formulated by Watson from her own personal experiences of working with the different patients
which she was able to acquire during her years of working as a nurse herself. In this relation, it
needs to be said that the adequate usage of this particular theory of care had yielded beneficial
results for the treatment or for that matter the care of patients who are suffering from cancer and
other kinds of terminal illnesses (Mendonça et al. 2018). However, at the same time it needs to
be said that the nurses for deriving the desired results through the usage of this particular theory
of care while caring for patients who suffer from cancer are required to inculcate the different
skills, qualities and the values mandated by this theory.
Liu and Wang (2018) have found that the nurses while caring for the patients who suffer
from cancer generally do not use the humanistic approach or do not like to establish a loving or
caring patient-nurse relationship with the patients because of the gravity of the disease of cancer.
However, recent researchers have clearly revealed the fact that the nurses who adopt a
humanistic approach and also develop a loving or caring patient-nurse relationship with their
patients are not only able to offer adequate care to the patients suffering from cancer but also
facilitate their recovery as well in comparison to the ones who do not use the humanistic
approach (Aktürk and Erci 2018). The usage of humanistic approach while caring for the patients
with cancer will enable the nurses to have the required empathy that would also enable them to
understand the needs of the patients (Yang and Gao 2019). This is important since it had been
seen that the needs of different patients are different depending on their lifestyle, the culture that

6CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
they follow and other important attributes of their life. The effectiveness of the care offered by
the nurses substantially depends on the extent to which they are being able to integrate the needs
of the patients within the nursing care offered by them (Sanson-Fisher et al. 2019). In addition to
these, the adequate usage of the humanistic approach by the nurses while caring for the patients
suffering from cancer also enables them effectively understand the health problems or the issues
faced by the patients suffering from cancer and thereby take the same into consideration while
caring for them. This is important since it had been seen that there are more than 100 different
kinds of cancer and the health issues or the health problems faced by the patients suffering from
the different forms of cancer are different (Karlou et al. 2016). Furthermore, while caring for
patients suffering from cancer the nurses are also required to use the 6C’s framework of nursing
and thereby taking into account the attributes of compassion, communication, care, competence,
courage and commitment for the care which they offer to the patients (Strickland 2019). In this
connection, it needs to be said that these attributes are in synchronicity with the humanistic
approach recommended by Watson and helps the nurses to offer the best quality care to the
patients suffering from cancer, In the light of these aspects, it can be said that the adequate usage
of the humanistic approach as suggested by Watson’s theory of care not only enables the nurses
to enhance the quality of care which is being offered by them but also increase the effectiveness
or for that matter the efficiency of the same as well.
According to Weaver et al. (2016), the nurses using this theory for offering care to the
patients suffering from cancer also needs to establish a transpersonal caring relationship with the
patients. Robinson et al. (2017) have noted that a common practice among the different nurses
while caring for the patients suffering from cancer is they often disregard the dignity or fail to
safeguard the respect of the patients. Thus, the theory states that the nurses for offering the

7CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
required care to the patients suffering from cancer needs to make a commitment for safeguarding
the dignity or the respect of the patients. This is important since the human beings even in their
dying moments desire to safeguard their dignity and respect. It is because of this particular aspect
that the theory mandates the nurses to safeguard their dignity and respect while offering care to
the patients suffering from cancer needs (Strickland 2019). In addition to these, the theory under
discussion here also states that the nurses while caring for the patients needs to take into account
the concepts of ethics and morals and also honor the needs, wishes, rituals and other attributes of
the patients. For instance, in the cases of terminal illnesses like cancer wherein no concrete
treatment methods are available to the healthcare professionals for facilitating the recovery of the
patients it becomes important for the nurses and also the healthcare professionals to utilize all
means which are available to them for facilitating the recovery of the patients (D’souza et al.
2018). Furthermore, when the patients see that their wishes, needs, desires and others are being
taken into account by the nurses while offering the caring services it makes them feel good
which in turn contributes towards their emotional wellness (Murali 2020). In this connection, it
needs to be said that the factor of emotional wellbeing is important from the perspective of the
patients suffering from cancer since it many cases it had been seen that the patients with a high
level of emotional wellness have been able to recover in a speedy manner in comparison to the
patients with low levels of emotional wellbeing (Petrou et al. 2017). In addition to these, the
concepts of ethics and morals are important for the nurses while offer care to the patients
suffering from cancer. This not only helps them to establish an effective patient-nurse
relationship with the patients but also improves the quality of care which is being offered by
them to the patients as well.

8CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
Cavers et al. (2019) have stated that an important feature of Watson’s theory of care is
the fact that the nurses using this particular theory need to utilize the reflective or for that matter
the meditative approach. Karlou et al. (2018) have noted that the adequate usage of the reflective
or the meditative approach by the nurses enables them to gain a better consciousness or
understanding about themselves. This also helps them to gain an idea about the job roles that
they need to perform, their own roles and responsibilities, the manner in which they can improve
the quality of care offered by them to the patients and others. Reflective or the meditative
approach also helps the nurses to gain a better consciousness regarding the health condition of
the patients, the issues or the problems faced by them, their treatment or care needs, desires,
expectations and other important aspects (Hermosilla-Ávila and Sanhueza-Alvarado 2019).
These in turn enables the nurses to gain a far better understanding about the patients and also the
nature that they need to offer them so as to facilitate the recovery of the patients suffering from
cancer and thereby help them in the best possible manner. In the light of these aspect, it can be
said that the adequate usage of Watson’s theory of care helps the nurses to offer the required care
to the patients suffering from cancer by taking into account their recovery needs and also by
facilitating the development of the skills, values and the qualities which are needed for doing so.
To conclude, Watson’s theory of care within a very short time had become one of the
most important theories which is being used by the nurses for offering the required care to the
patients suffering cancer. However, at the same time it needs to be said that the effective usage
of Watson’s theory of care requires the nurses to develop various skills, values and qualities
which in turn help them to offer the best quality care to the patients. This is important since in
the particular context of terminal illnesses like cancer it had been seen that the recovery of the
patients not only depends on the quality of the medication or the healthcare services which are

9CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
being offered to them but also on the overall quality of nursing care as well. Thus, the nurses
using this particular theory of care are required to use the humanistic approach, use reflective or
meditative approach, to safeguard the respect and the dignity of the patients, use the concepts of
love, ethics and morals for offering the required care to the patients.

10CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
References
Aktürk, Ü. and Erci, B., 2018. The Effect of Watson’s Human Caring Model on Meaning of Life
and Symptom Management in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy. Research and theory
for nursing practice, 32(3), pp.255-275.
Al-Natour, A., Al Momani, S.M. and Qandil, A.M., 2017. The relationship between spirituality
and quality of life of Jordanian women diagnosed with breast cancer. Journal of religion and
health, 56(6), pp.2096-2108.
Blomberg, K., Griffiths, P., Wengström, Y., May, C. and Bridges, J., 2016. Interventions for
compassionate nursing care: A systematic review. International journal of nursing studies, 62,
pp.137-155.
Cavers, D., Habets, L., Cunningham-Burley, S., Watson, E., Banks, E. and Campbell, C., 2019.
Living with and beyond cancer with comorbid illness: a qualitative systematic review and
evidence synthesis. Journal of Cancer Survivorship, 13(1), pp.148-159.
Cook, L.B. and Peden, A., 2017. Finding a focus for nursing: The caring concept. Advances in
Nursing Science, 40(1), pp.12-23.
Costello, M., 2018. Watson’s Caritas Processes® as a Framework for Spiritual End of Life Care
for Oncology Patients. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 11(2), pp.639-644.
D’souza, V., Serrao, M., Watson, E., Blouin, E., Zeitouni, A. and Allison, P.J., 2018.
Information service in head and neck cancer care—a qualitative study. Supportive Care in
Cancer, 26(1), pp.91-98.

11CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
Hermosilla-Ávila, A.E. and Sanhueza-Alvarado, O.I., 2019. Intervention of Humanized Nursing
Accompaniment and Quality of Life in People with Advanced Cancer. Aquichan, 19(3).
Karlou, C., Papadopoulou, C., Papathanassoglou, E., Lemonidou, C., Vouzavali, F.,
Zafiropoulou-Koutroubas, A., Katsaragakis, S. and Patiraki, E., 2018. Nurses’ Caring Behaviors
Toward Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy in Greece: A Mixed-Methods Study. Cancer
nursing, 41(5), pp.399-408.
Karlou, C.H., Vouzavali, F., Lemonidou, C.H., Papathanassoglou, E., Zafiropoulou-Koutroubas,
A., Katsaragakis, S. and Patiraki, E., 2016. Qualitative study of care in oncology. Nursing Care
& Research/Nosileia kai Ereuna, (44).
Liu, S. and Wang, J., 2018, August. Research on Watson’Theory of Human Nature Care and Its
Application Status. In 2018 2nd International Conference on Education Science and Economic
Management (ICESEM 2018). Atlantis Press.
Mendonça, A.B., Pereira, E.R., Barreto, B.M.F. and Silva, R.M.C.R.A., 2018. Counseling and
Spiritual Assistance to Chemotherapy Patients: A Reflection in the Light of Jean Watson's
Theory. Escola Anna Nery, 22(4).
Murali, K.P., 2020. End of Life Decision-Making: Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. Nursing
Science Quarterly, 33(1), pp.73-78.
Nwozichi, C.U., 2019. Toward A Germinal Theory of Knowing-Revealing-Humanizing as
Expressions of Caring in Cancer Palliative Care. Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing, 6(3),
p.269.

12CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
Petrou, A., Sakellari, E., Psychogiou, M., Karassavidis, S., Imbrahimet, S., Savvidis, G. and
Sapountzi-Krepia, D., 2017. Nursing students’ perceptions of caring: A qualitative
approach. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 10(3), pp.1148-57.
Robinson, J., Gott, M., Gardiner, C. and Ingleton, C., 2017. Specialist palliative care nursing and
the philosophy of palliative care: a critical discussion. International journal of palliative
nursing, 23(7), pp.352-358.
Sanson-Fisher, R., Hobden, B., Watson, R., Turon, H., Carey, M., Bryant, J. and Freund, M.,
2019. The new challenge for improving psychosocial cancer care: shifting to a system-based
approach. Supportive Care in Cancer, 27(3), pp.763-769.
Strickland, E., 2019. IBM Watson, heal thyself: How IBM overpromised and underdelivered on
AI health care. IEEE Spectrum, 56(4), pp.24-31.
Watson, J., 2019. Postscript: Thoughts on Caring Theories and Instruments for Measuring
Caring. Assessing and Measuring Caring in Nursing and Health Sciences: Watson’s Caring
Science Guide.
Weaver, M.S., Heinze, K.E., Bell, C.J., Wiener, L., Garee, A.M., Kelly, K.P., Casey, R.L.,
Watson, A. and Hinds, P.S., 2016. Establishing psychosocial palliative care standards for
children and adolescents with cancer and their families: An integrative review. Palliative
medicine, 30(3), pp.212-223.
Who.int 2020. Cancer-Factsheet. [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-
sheets/detail/cancer [Accessed 13 Feb. 2020].

13CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH CANCER
Yang, G. and Gao, S., 2019. Research Progress on the Application of Watson’s Human Caring
Theory. TMR Aging, 1(1), pp.14-17.