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Caring Is Viewed as the Essence of Nursing

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Caring Is Viewed as the Essence of Nursing
Caring is viewed as the essence of nursing, discuss...
Introduction
Lenninger (1984) described caring as the “essence of nursing”. Over the years many nursing theorists and researchers have examined the concept of caring and written extensively on the importance of caring in nursing. Going back to the foundation of modern nursing Nightingale (1859) wrote that nursing’s most important work is caring. Despite the wealth of ground covered in these works the term “care”, is rarely defined as a theoretical concept in its own right and is often used interchangeably with the term nursing (Gaut, 1983). In this article the author will explore the existing theoretical perspectives on caring. The author will attempt to show how nursing and caring are inherently linked and the important role that caring plays in job satisfaction for nurses as well as client satisfaction with the service provided. The article will also try to demonstrate the distinction between lay-caring and professional caring.
Perspectives on caring
Cognitive
Lenninger (1981) defines care/caring as those assistive, supportive, or facilitative acts toward another individual with evident needs to improve their condition. This view of caring as an act of doing something to help a person is shared by other authors too. Caring is considered a series of helping activities (McFarlane, 1976). This is in-line with Orem’s (1985) theory of self care, which identifies five methods of giving assistance to an individual including acting for or doing for another, guiding another, supporting another, providing an environment that promotes personal development and teaching another.
Emotional
Alternatively, caring is viewed as a therapeutic interpersonal process that can only be effectively practised interpersonally (Watson, 1979). Benner (1984) agrees and identifies an instrumental and expressive role in nursing for the concept of caring. Dunlop (1986) warns not to define caring as a finite set of behaviours as to do so



References: Banathy B.H. (1996) Designing Social Systems In A Changing World, New York, Plenum Press. Benner P. (1984) From Novice To Expert: Excellence And Power In Clinical Nursing Practice, Reading, Massachusetts, Addison-Wesley. Bruce T., Bowman J. and Brown S. (1998) Factors that influence patient satisfaction in the emergency department, Journal of Nursing Care Quality, 13(2), 31-37. Dunlop M.J. (1986) Is a science of caring possible? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 11, 661-670. Duke S. & Copp G. (1992) Hidden nursing, Nursing Times, 88(17), 40-42. Fry S.T. (1988) The ethic of caring: can it survive in nursing? Nursing Outlook, 36(1), 48. Gadow S.A. (1985) Nurse and patient: the caring relationship, Caring Curing Coping, (Bishop A.H. & Schudder J.R. eds), Alabama, The University of Alabama Press, 31-43. Gaut D. (1983) Development of a theoretically adequate description of caring,Western Journal of Nursing Research, 5(4), 313-324. Henderson V.A. (1980) Preserving the essence of nursing in a technological age, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 5, 245-260. Hirshfield M. (1983) Home care versus institutionalisation: family care-giving and senile brain disease, International Journal of Nursing Studies, 20, 23-32. Judkins S.K. & Eldridge C. (2001) Lets put caring back into healthcare, Journal of Nursing Administration, 31(11), 509-511. Kitson A.L. 1987 A comparative analysis of lay-caring and professional (nursing) caring relationships, International Journal of Nursing Studies, 24 (2), 155-165. Kurtz R.J. & Wang J. (1991) The caring ethic: more than kindness, the core of nursing science, Nursing Forum, 26(1), 4-8. Lenninger M. (1981) The phenomenon of caring: importance, research questions and theoretical considerations, Caring, An Essential Human Need, (Lenninger M. ed) Wayne State University Press, Detroit 3-15. Lenninger M. (1984) The essence of nursing and health, Thoroughfare, NJ Slack. McFarlane J.K. (1976) A charter for caring, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 1, 187-196. Nettina S.M. (2000) The Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice, Philadelphia, Lippincott. Nightingale F. (1859) Notes on Nursing, New York, Dover. Orem D.E. (1985) Nursing: Concepts of Practise 3rd ed, New York, McGraw-Hill. Paulson D.S Remen N. (1980) The Human Patient, New York, Anchor Press. Watson J. (1979) Theory and Practice of Nursing: An Integrated Approach to Caring Practice ,(Basford L. & Slevin O. eds.) 50 New York, Nelson Thornes.

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