There are several highly popular Middle-Range nursing theories which are used extensively by professionals across the world. Watson’s Theory of Caring is one of the most notable examples of Middle-Range theories, which provides nurses with an understanding of the significance of the interpersonal relationship. Essentially, the primary idea of the theory is that caring is the foundation of nursing which promotes a supportive environment for patients and relationships built on trust (Turkel et al., 2017). The Theory of Caring highlights the importance of perceiving nursing as a life-giving job which fosters the sense of sacredness and reverence with regard to the life of patients and people in general. Watson also lists several factors which contribute to the caring process and need to be addressed by nursing professionals. For instance, the theory insists that nurses need to embrace a humanistic-altruistic system of values and sensitivity to the feelings of oneself and others. Additionally, the theory stresses the need to promote transpersonal teaching-learning and accept the expression of the full spectrum of feelings.
Speaking of how the theory explains, controls, and predicts the phenomenon of caring, Watson’s perspective underlines the necessity to adhere to humanism. In other words, Watson explains caring as the core of nursing as the practice of recognizing the needs of every person on all levels, from biophysical to interpersonal ones. Thus, nursing based on caring, according to Watson, becomes a transpersonal relationship which is guided by the aforementioned caritive factors (Pajnkihar et al., 2017). The theory postulates that in order to control caring, it is vital to ensure that nursing professionals preserve dignity and humanity when providing support to others. Essentially, nursing professionals need to treat their clients as humans who have their perspectives which have to be resected. In order to predict the correct provision of caring, it is crucial to determine that the nursing professionals are familiar with the caritive factors and can apply them effectively.
The theory greatly contributes to the outcome of patient care since it enables nursing professionals to actively engage in health promotion through caring. Nurses who adhere to all the principles of Watson’s Theory of Caring have the capacity to improve the experiences of clients, especially those who have health problems. The theory teaches medical workers to understand that their clients are also humans who must not be treated as objects but as individuals requiring respect (Turkel et al., 2017). The dignity with which nursing professionals embracing the theory approach their clients can improve the mood of patients and thus contribute to their recovery. Moreover, the theory teaches nurses to strengthen their interpersonal relationships with clients, which provides patients with a chance to have a conversation which also positively affects their health. Finally, the interpersonal relationship implies that nurses and clients can participate in the recovery process of the latter together, which can improve the quality of caring.
Personally, I consider Watson’s Theory of Caring as one of the most important ones for me, and I always strive to apply it in my practice. The theory inspires me to see patients not merely as clients to whom I need to provide basic services but individuals with their unique needs and desires. Using the theory, I can remind myself of the necessity to build an interpersonal relationship with all patients and learn about their experiences and concerns. Moreover, the theory enables me to understand the importance of respecting the right of patients to express themselves and my obligation to be supportive of them. Finally, by embracing the principles of the theory, I can not only develop but also sustain caring relationships with my clients based on trust.
References
Pajnkihar M., Štiglic G., & Vrbnjak D. (2017). The concept of Watson’s carative factors in nursing and their (dis)harmony with patient satisfaction. Peer Journal of Life and Environment, 5, 1–16. Web.
Turkel, M., Watson, J., & Giovannoni, J. (2017). Caring science or science of caring. Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(1), 66–71. Web.