Human Caring Theory of Nursing Case Study
The Human Caring Theory is a holistic philosophy of nursing that was developed by Jean Watson (Watson, 2010). This approach to nursing is based on a number of certain assumptions regarding the caring of patients. Basically, nursing care is an interpersonal practice that involves both the caretaker and the patient and which consists of curative modalities that target a number of human needs to promote the health and wellbeing of the patient. A healthcare practitioner that follows the Human Caring Theory looks beyond the curing of the current pathological condition of the patient to develop a caring plan that helps promote the future health and wellbeing of the patient (Parker, 2010). Under this approach, the environment of the patient plays a prominent role in reaching the health potential of the patient and stress is placed on caring rather than on curing. The environment is not limited to the physical surroundings of the patient but also incorporates the socio-economic environment including the various members of the care management team and family members as well as any healthcare benefits available.
Key to caring are the various types of helping-trust relationships that may develop between the patient and all others within the social circle (Parker, 2010). Trust is developed through the sharing of altruistic values and through interpersonal support and caring, where caring includes mental, physical and spiritual factors. The Human Caring Theory encourages sensitivity of self for it is believed that a caretaker’s personal emotions impact the emotions that are rendered to the patient; that is, caring is an interaction between the caretaker and the patient, and to develop meaningful trust all feelings must be expressed, be they negative of positive (Parker, 2010). The honest sharing of feelings is important because feelings help shape thought and behavior and these in turn promote trust.
One of the goals of a nurse practitioner is to promote health and wellbeing by adopting a holistic approach to caring and targeting any present diseases while preventing new diseases or injuries from occurring (McGraw, 2002). In caring for Buddy, the healthcare provider had not only to consider Buddy’s history of falls but there was also a need to recognize that Buddy’s declining health condition combined with the unsafe surroundings of his home placed him at high risk of incurring new falls. Thus one of the duties of the caretaker was to protect Buddy by securing the physical environment and by helping Buddy and his wife feel safer at home, because holistic nursing must take into account the whole person and their surroundings and not just the separate pathological conditions. It was clearly apparent that Buddy and Grace’s unsafe and unhealthy living conditions had placed them in danger and impacted their wellbeing. Nevertheless, Grace was more concerned over having to move to an assisted living facility and this concern should have been addressed with a number of different options including expanded homecare and e-health applications.
Another important approach to caring is for the healthcare provider to develop a collaborative and supporting relationship with the patient and with all other members of the healthcare team, including members of the patient’s family. It is also critical that the nurse-patient relationship be an ongoing and evolving relationship, from the first intervention with the patient until the nursing services are no longer required by the patient; in this case, the death of Grace and the transfer of Buddy to an assisted living facility. It is clear that in the current case the healthcare provider had earned Buddy’s ultimate trust for it was to the caretaker that Buddy turned to at the time of his greatest need.
References
McGraw, M.J. (2002). Watson’s philosophy in nursing practice. In M.R. Alligood, & A. Marriner Tomey (Eds.), Nursing theory: Utilization and application (pp. 97-122). Toronto, Canada: Mosby.
Parker, M.E. & Smith, M.C. (2010). Nursing theories & nursing practice (3rd ed). Chapter 20. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. Danvers, MA: F.A. Davis.
Watson, J., & Smith, M. (2002). Transpersonal caring science and the science of unitary human beings: A transtheoretical discourse for nursing knowledge development. International Journal of Advanced Nursing, 37(5), 452-461.
