The caring theory was developed by Dr. Jean Watson in 1979 to introduce a new concept of spirituality and humanistic in the nursing professional. The theory seeks to incorporate the scientific knowledge and nursing practice into the real human aspects. The theory argues that, the humanistic and spirituality aspect are a significant component that promote the patient to healing faster (Watson, 2009). Additionally, Dr. Watson sees these two aspects as the focal point in the human development hence the nursing professionals cannot ignore them. Furthermore, he emphasizes that, for a nurse to form a rigid and interpersonal relationship with the patient, the two aspects comes in. As such the nurse has to respect and recognize the values and beliefs of the patient spirituality. Thus, to create a tangible bond with the patient a nurse has to interact with the patient on a personal level. As a result, the nurse will be able to carry clinical assessment without creating a conflict with the patient (Rafael, 2010).
However, this theory might not work in the current settings of the nursing professional where there are cases of nursing shortages in the many healthcare facilities. As a result, the nurses have minimal time to accomplish a rigid relationship with a patient which will go into personal life. Additionally, there are many patients at the hospital with different personality and spiritual believes hence it won’t be easy for the few nurses available to know the culture and spirituality of every patient in the hospital (Faulkner et al., 2010). Furthermore, asking the patient about his/her spirituality and personal believes would be infringing into their private life. Therefore, the theory has excellent value that cannot be ignored. However, it cannot apply to every health facility especially those experiencing health practitioners’ shortages (Mendyka, 2011).
Reference
Faulkner, J., & Laschinger, H. (2010). The effects of structural and psychological empowerment on perceived respect in acute care nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 16(2), 214-221.
Mendyka, B. E. (2011). Exploring Culture in Nursing: A Theory‐Driven Practice.Holistic nursing practice, 15(1), 32-41.
Rafael, A. R. F. (2010). Watson's philosophy, science, and theory of human caring as a conceptual framework for guiding community health nursing practice. Advances in Nursing Science, 23(2), 34-49.
Watson, J. (2009). Nursing: Human science and human care: A theory of nursing (No. 15). Jones & Bartlett Learning
