Respond to the 2 following discussion posts separately with separate reference lists.
1. A nursing theoretical model based on caring is Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. Watson focused her career on caring science, which she defined as embracing the whole person and mind, body, and spirit (Watson Caring Science Institute, 2022). Watson wanted to bring a distinctive meaning to the nursing profession with its own practices, ethics, values, and mission. The Theory of Human Caring outlines ten charitable factors, or caritas, which are described to be human care needs that a nurse should attempt to address (Riegel et al., 2018). Watson’s theory can promote critical thinking in clinical practice by encouraging healthcare providers to view patients more holistically and consider how they interact with their environment (Riegel et al., 2018). This holistic view acknowledges the factors in a person’s life that has led them to be unhealthy or in a state of disease.
Watson’s Theory of Human Caring is applicable to the practice of advanced practice nurses with every patient interaction. The emphasis on caring and embracing the mind, body, and spirit can be practiced with every patient we encounter. Healing is so much more than just treating an illness, so addressing the individual more holistically can ultimately promote greater well being. For example, if an individual has a poor diet leading to obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol but they are overeating and sedentary due to depression, it is important to address the patient’s mind, body and spirit in the treatment plan. Similarly, health care providers can apply Watson’s theory by looking into factors in patient’s lives that has led them to an unhealthy state. This might be social, economic, relationship, cultural, or a multitude of other factors. Keeping these factors in mind can help providers treat patients more effectively.
References
Riegel, F., Crossetti, M., Siqueira, D. (2018). Contributions of Jean Watson’s theory to holistic critical thinking of nurses. Rev Bras Enferm, 71(4), 2072-6. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2017-0065
Watson Caring Science Institute. (2022). Watson’s Caring Science and Human Caring Theory. https://www.watsoncaringscience.org/jean-bio/caring-science-theory/
2. Nursing practice is primarily established on research evidence that establishes procedures and guidelines that have been researched and found to be positively influential in delivering healthcare. Implementing evidence-based practice is a vital part of improving the health outcomes of the patient populations (Dagne et al., 2021). The nurse can use a set of guidelines to translate evidence into practice. First, the nurse should select an area in which they see the need for improvement, for example, medication errors. A researched intervention process is then considered to address the pressing issue by selecting current best practice guidelines within the research scope. This is part of the clinical problem-solving practice. Another way research can be applied in practice is in advocacy. Nursing advocacy relates to how nurses lobby for patients’ rights and those of the nurses in a move to establish better environments for work and administration of health services (Sharpnack, 2022). These advocacies need to be based on solid evidence from published data or observable environments that can be used as objective material to influence positive changes in many areas, mainly when applied in the legislative processes, thus facilitating positive change that will benefit many other groups. As another way, nurses can use research to manage symptoms of illness in patient groups. Nursing interventions need to be based on researched evidence. Most of these interventions have been conducted on a large sample group which can be generalized to the entire patient population. However, it is the nurse’s responsibility to determine the baseline characteristics of the study group to determine how best these interventions can be applied to their respective contexts (Richards et al., 2018). These practices directly inform the management and care delivery to the patients.
References
Dagne, A. H., Beshah, M. H., Kassa, B. G., & Dagnaw, E. H. (2021). Implementation of evidence-based practice and associated factors among nurses and midwives working in Amhara Region government hospitals: a cross-sectional study. Reproductive Health, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-021-01096-w
Richards, D. A., Hilli, A., Pentecost, C., Goodwin, V. A., & Frost, J. (2018). Fundamental nursing care: A systematic review of the evidence on the effect of nursing care interventions for nutrition, elimination, mobility and hygiene. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(11–12), 2179–2188. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14150
Sharpnack, P. A. (2022). Overview and Summary: Nurses’ Impact on Advocacy and Policy. OJIN, 27(2). https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol27No02ManOS
