Watson explains these assumptions as the basic needs for a caring relationships. With these 7 assumptions we would be unable to folow through with the Carative Nursing Process (Watson, 2012).
2- When we can let our patients know that we are trying to connect with them and understand their religion or faith then we can better serve their spiritual needs- This connects with our next factor…
3- Sensitivity does not come easily to all of us and the longer we’ve been in healthcare the harder it is to remain sensitive. We need to help ourselves and our patients by constantly trying to remain positive and care for our spiritual needs.
2- Allow yourself and your patient to be able to express positive and negative feelings and emotions. Expression of emotions can lead to productive relationships.
3- Before clients have to make decisions, a good nurse must ensure they have all the tools they need to make an informed decision.
- Evidence-Based Practice for Nurses by Schmidt, encourages nurses to get their patients use a deductive reasoning based decision process. This has been shown to increase patient satisfaction and allows patients and their families to make informed healthcare decisions.
2- Make the client/patient feel comfortable in their environment- whether that is in a hospital bed or their own home.
3- Before any relationship can be initiated or developed, basic human needs must first be addressed.
4- We must be open to deeper soul searching and allow this to help us make life changing decisions. This can also allow patients to find their own purpose in life.
Alligood, M. (2010). Nursing theory: Utilization & Application (4th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
Environment: The external and internal aspects of life. These are the things that influence a person or community. (NURSINGTHEORIES.INFO)
“According to Watson, caring (and nursing) has existed in
every society. A caring attitude is not transmitted from generation to generation. It is transmitted by the culture of the profession as a unique way of coping with its environment.”
(Current Nursing. (2012, January 26). Nursing theories: A companion to nursing theories and models. Retrieved from //currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Watson.html)
Nursing: The interventions of the nurse rendering care. This is in support of or in cooperation with the client. (NURSINGTHEORIES.INFO)
Mathes, S. (2011). Implementing a Caring Model. Creative Nursing, 17(1), 36-42. doi:10.1891/1078-4535.17.1.36
1.
2. Creating a healing environments means more than looking at the patient on a physical level. Patients are more than their disease/illness. Need to connect with patients on an emotional level to promote healing
3. To promote healing patients need to have respect for the patient and patients need to respect caregivers, not just in as patient-nurse, but as humanbeings.
4. Let patients bring things from home that make their room more comfortable, pictures, blankets, pillows. Keep the room a comfortable temperature for the patient. Allow patients to choose foods that they enjoy eating, and keep fresh water at bedside.
-Swanson (2004) states that the five elements needed for a healing environment are pure air, pure water, efficient drianage, cleanliness, and light.
Nurses who practice the caring model have “enhanced intuition, empathy, clinical judgment, capacity for caring, and work satisfaction (Swanson, 2004).”
-Curing often refers only to the physical ailments. People often think of curing as something that should be immediate
-When healing through caring, healing can occur on many levels: physically, spiritually, mentally.
-Caring helps to heal the whole person
Alligood points out that caring is the most “central and unifying focus for nursing practice” (as cited in Alligood, 2010, p. 120).
Alligood, M. (2010). Nursing theory: Utilization & Application (4th
ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
Current Nursing. (2012, January 26). Nursing theories: A companion to nursing theories and models. Retrieved from //currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Watson.html
The “carative factors” that Watson bases her theory on add to the relationship with the patient “and the meaning transpersonal caring has for the patient and the nurse” (Alligood, 2010, p. 125).
The nurse can use caring to help make patients’ illnesses a better experience. By using caring, the patient can “experience respect, dignity, comfort, and the feeling that the caregiver is there for them” (Suliman et al., 2009, p. 299). Doing this showed that patients wanted to spend more time with the nurse and express their feelings. Through caring, the patients fulfilled “higher order needs and self-actualization at that particular stage of life, and Saudi patients have indicated these caring behaviors to be important” (Suliman et al., 2009).
Suliman, W., Welmann, E., Omer, T., & Thomas, L. (2009). Applying Watson's nursing theory to assess patient perceptions of being cared for in a multicultural environment. Journal Of Nursing Research (Taiwan Nurses Association), 17(4), 293-300. doi:10.1097/JNR.0b013e3181c122a3
For instance, if an acute-care nurse only is taking care of 1-2 patients, they are able to spend more time than a nurse that has a team of 5-7 patients on a medical-surgical floor. Regardless the number of patients a nurse has, they still are required to to meet certain standards (like passing medications within a particular time frame, assess and document findings within a time frame, and report findings to appropriate persons) (Alligood, 2010). If a nurse has a large team, due to low staffing or a smaller staff of nurses in comparison to aids, the nurse-patient relationship may be impacted negatively (Alligood, 2010, p. 124).
Also, if an acute-care patient has an illness that requires more care than a patient that doesn’t, the amount of “caring” can vary patient to patient (Alligood, 2010).
Patients may not verbalize their feelings like some cultures may. If the patient is of Arab or Asian culture, they may be more reluctant to express what nurse caring is given to them (Suliman et al., 2009).
Some of these caring behaviors that were reported in the study by Suliman et al. (2009) include the nurse showing a caring attitude, smiling when greeting the patients, conversing in a “gentle voice,” and
being “affable.” In order to show these, build trust and conduct patient teaching, a nurse must be able to have effective communication with their patients (Suliman et al., 2009).
If the nurse isn’t able to understand their patient, it is important to prevent miscommunication and negatively impact the nurse-patient relationship. If the nurse is unable to effectively communicate and provide the proper care, the nurse should seek an interpreter to assist in understanding patient needs
(Suliman et al., 2009, p. 299).
Compassion fatigue: Extremely prevalent in an acute care setting. It has a negative correlation with “professional knowledge and skill,” but was strongly related to burnout.
Even though more research is necessary to show a strong correlation between compassion satisfaction/burnout and nurse caring, there is “statistically significant correlations between nurse job satisfaction, work-related stress, and burnout” and how all this impacted the outcome of nurse caring. This validated findings conducted in earlier studies (Burtson & Stichler, 2010).
Burtson, P., & Stichler, J. (2010). Nursing work environment and nurse caring: relationship among motivational factors. Journal Of Advanced Nursing, 66(8), 1819-1831. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05336.x. Retrieved from //eagle.sbuniv.edu:2152/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=2&sid=0fc4f770-96af-44e3-a078-7daa924c11a2%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2010708119
-Alligood states, “remember interventions, actions, words, behaviors, cognition, body language, feelings, intentions, thoughts, and senses present simultaneously.(2010,p.127)
-Take the time to notice the little things.
-Alligood illustrates in the Oncology example, “she has her face turned away but I can see anguish and despair.”(2010,p.128)
2. Ask what calls you to care.
-Alligood states several questions to ask one’s self. For instance, “what is the root of my caring?”(2010,p.117)
3.Focus on the patient’s priorities.
-Figure out what the patient finds most important. An example, asking the patient what you can do to help them with their pain.
4.Use open ended questions.
-An example, a nurse can ask, “you look like you are uncomfortable. What can I do to
help you be more comfortable?”
5.Asking about the patient’s enviornment.
-Find out what makes them feel most at home.
-Provide support that meets their basic needs. For instance, having a hopeful attitude.
-Alligood states, “nurses must instill hope in patients when making their presence felt.”
-Nurses have the ability to make illness a positive experience. (Alligood, 2010, p.298)
6. Listen.
-The best thing a nurse can do is listen.
-In the Saudi
Arabian study of 393 patients, researchers stated that, “patients desire more time with their nurse to spend discussing their feelings.”(2009, p.299)