A Concept Analysis: Caring in Nursing

Raymund Christopher R. dela Peña, RN, RM, MANSaint Louis University

DefinitionsBased on Oxford Online Dictionary (n.d), caring means to display kindness and concern for others. Roach in her works (1984, 1987, 1992) has asserted that caring is the "human mode of being" (1992, p. ix). As such, it entails the capacity to care, the calling forth of this ability in ourselves and others, responding to something or someone that matters and finally actualizing the ability to care (1992, p. 47). Leininger (1988b) defines caring as an action to assist or support a person or a group to meet overt or anticipated needs in order to improve the conditions and the style of life.

Caring is characterized by effective and skillful nursing, compassion, and understanding (Finfgeld-Connett, 2008).

Antecedents The first antecedent in the concept is awareness

of the other needs that are required by the patients. Moreover, the nurses need to be in good moods to help their patients to improve their ethnical and cognitive enthusiasm as they portray their care by helping the patient in need.

Moral and cognitive stimulus are the other antecedent found in the concept of caring. If nurses in a hospital combine and make use of these two antecedents, they will be in a good position to exercise the concept of caring and help patients.

Defining Characteristics/Attributesresponsible for helping patientsconcern and devotion of the

nurses to help patientsinterpersonal relationship

between the involved parties, that is, the patients and the nurses

scientific and methodological processes of understanding health care

ConsequencesWhenever, the nursing practitioners

practice the concept of caring, several consequences must be experienced and ultimately, patients will get healing from the tender care that they will get from the nurse. They also need to be satisfied by the tender care and prove researches right and lastly, the patients should experience growth from the concept of caring. From all these, the concept of caring will be available and evident in the nursing field.

Model Case Here is an example of a model case detailed with

the four critical attributed aforementioned. Bailey is a reputed nurse who works at the emergency unit of one of the big hospitals in town. On a Saturday evening, the hospital receives ten accident victims who are badly wounded. He was prepared to leave in five minutes, but the matron ordered the available nurses to respond immediately to the victims in need and also save lives. Without hesitation, Bailey wore his uniform and rushed to the emergency room to offer medical assistance and attention. Jane was very concern that the hospital may loss ten victims if they not helped immediately as it had happened a week ago. He also ensured that the doctor in-charge is also available to help save lives. Employing her nursing skills and expertise, he made sure that every victim is in the hospital beds in order to get medical attention from the doctor. This vigorous incident took three hours for each victim to be attended and Bailey later left for his home at 9 o’clock in the evening.

Related Case Kenzo and Bailey are nurses in the same hospital and

departments.  He in most cases expresses his tender love to patients, but he does not apply it in real life often. Many times, he comments and looks as if he cares about patients, but he never extends his support when it is mostly needed. As a workmate, Bailey narrated the incidents of the previous week when 10 accident victims who were brought to the hospital with deep cuts, Kenzo expresses his concern about the patients, but ends up concluding that ‘he was lucky that he was on leave and he worked in the department because of money’. This shows that even though Kenzo pretends to care and to be concerned, he does not care about the patients, but the amount he gets. Then again, he also quarrels the patients whenever they go against her expectations. Additionally, he never follows the scientific and systematic process of the caring concept.  He alleges that systematic process does not matter, but the results do.

Contrary Case Ryan is also a nurse who also works in the same

hospital in town and in the same department; he welcomes wounded patients and takes them to the respective locations within the hospital. In contrast, Ryan deems that he is supposed to admit patients, assign each bed and welcome the doctor to take over the rest of the tasks. When Bailey expressed his care to the wounded patients, Ryan was liable of the casualty department. Even though, he admitted patient in the casualty department, he did not see any need to give them first aid that they eagerly needed. His claims are that, once the patients are admitted in the hospital, the rest should rest on the doctors. If the doctor needs any help. It is upon the doctor to take action and request for it and it is not his responsibility to offer or extend any help.

Implications for Nursing Identification of the core

attributes of concepts, including caring, allows nurses to determine appropriate research questions, develop theory and identify practice priorities at a time of increasing demands and constrained resources.

Conclusion Despite the complexity of the concept of

‘caring in nursing’ and the difficulty to identify common attributes when interpreting this concept, patients and nurses tend to use some common attributes in their interpretations. Caring can save the life of a patient, offer a death with dignity, and convey trust and commitment to patients, families, and staff.

The humanistic nature of nursing is reflected in the caring model. Caring is the central concept in the discipline of nursing. I would not want to imagine nursing without the concept of caring.