Watson's Theory Of Human Caring

Introduction

Nursing theory impacts the profession of nursing in a multidimensional order and brings a profound impact on the entire process of patient care giving process. Nursing theory provides a structure that supports and clearly defines the practice of nurses in a professional manner. The implementation of nursing theory in real supports the patient care process improves the quality of services and also helps in drafting the solution to the problems faced during nursing practice. Application of nursing theory to over the challenges faced by nurses can be implemented in educational, research, direct patient care services, administration and management services (Marquis & Huston, 2009). The application and implementation of Jean Watson's theory of human caring demonstrates the benefits to address particular problems faced in nursing practice (Watson, 2009).

Problem

The research based articles when reviewed related to the nursing problems demonstrates that a continuous support from the nursing staff is the key that enable the nurse managers and administrators to provide quality care to patients. Staff shortage brings a major issue in terms of discontinued patient care, and it brings a negative impact on the patient satisfaction and recovery outcomes. The nursing staffing and shortage problem are a major issue that arises is almost all acute care settings. The staffing problem in acute care settings can be due to many reasons which include excess workload, fatigue, burnout and accidental injuries. When enough staff is absent for proper execution of work the patient care lacks compassion and caring element that brings negative impact on the patients, family as well as the nursing staff (Douglas, 2010). Traditionally the universal practice to overcome staffing problem is offering financially stable recruitment plans, but still the retention plans and offering good compensation could not overcome this issue. Therefore, the implementation of theory of human caring can provide important insight and solutions to overcome the nurse staffing problem. The theory guides the administrators, managers as well as the supervisors on how efficiently and effectively they can overcome the staff shortage issues, can bring the support nurses as a valuable resource and ultimately improve patient care (Watson, 2009).

Concept and Principle of the Theory

The main concept of the theory of human caring is based on the hypothesis that the foundation of the nursing profession resides on the essence of caring which depends on the discipline among the nursing staff. It is very important to maintain efficient interpersonal interactions and two way communications as the primary means to exchange the expressions of care. Caring is not limited by any physical or emotional barrier rather is providing a true reflection of humanity for patients as well other members of the staff (Watson, 2009). Caring Theory given by Jean Watson is a well-known and famous theory which is usually implemented in nursing practice. The three main elements of the theory are carative factors, transpersonal caring relationship and the caring moment or occasion. The carative factors given by the theorist Watson (1997) endeavor to “honor the human dimensions of nursing work and ...