Most United States hospitals adopted the Human Caring Theory in a move towards institutional changes and dissemination of professional nursing. This theory is termed by scholars as a Theory of Transpersonal Caring. The creative aspect, transpersonal compassionate bond, and the caring instance are basic elements in the theory propounded by Dr. Jean Watson. All these fundamentals describe a human component of caring and a real encounter with the client. The theory agrees with the nursing commitment to offering physical, emotional, physiological, social, and spiritual needs to the patient.
Creative component
Watson envisions creative factors as the major element in nursing. She contrasts it with the conventional way of taking care of patients using medicine by attempting to respect experiences encountered by nurses in their duties and the personal perception of clients served. Some of the 10 elements in the creative category include human needs assistance, transpersonal teaching, sensitivity to self and others, faith-hope, and existential –phenomenological-spiritual forces. Recent development in Watson’s theory saw a translation of creative factors into the clinical Caritas process where a client is cherished and given special love with attention.
Transpersonal Caring Relationship
This is where a nurse is more concerned with the client’s subjective and deeper meaning regarding their health care condition (Marilyn, 2006). According to Watson, the human body, mind, and soul must be in harmony to achieve the highest form of health. This is realized through a transpersonal relationship where the client and the caregiver are in full contact with each other. Transactions taking place between the client and the caregiver contributes to the formation of transpersonal connection. A nurse’s caring consciousness is critical to gain an understanding of the client’s frame of mind giving rise to mutuality. Transpersonal illustrates how a nurse can reach the spiritual connection with the patient consequently promoting comfort and healing. It further supports protection, enhancement, and preservation of a person’s dignity, while maintaining compassion, completeness, and inner synchronization of the mind, soul, and spirit (Alligood, 2010).
Caring moment
In a deliberation by Watson (2007) caring occasion takes place where both the caregiver and the client meet and there is a high probability that caring for an individual will take place. Given the exceptional phenomenal field, it is probable that a nurse and the patient would come together in a human-to-human operation. Watson views the phenomenal field as the totality of human incidents in life which touch on feelings, thoughts, environment, expectations, and individual perceptions. A caregiver must recognize own consciousness and real presence in the caring occasion with the patient. A choice made during caring occasions contributes to the creation of histories of both the patient and the caregiver. According to (Watson 2007), the caring occasion is said to be transpersonal when it permits the existence of the spirit of care-giver and cared person leading to expansion of honesty and can increase individual potential.
Watson further drew a connection between health and illness. Whereas health is the existence of harmony among body, mind, and soul, illness is disharmony in these features. Besides, health is linked to the level of agreement between the apparent and the experienced personality. Nursing, therefore, plays a greater role in exposing an individual to the real meaning of health and existence in general. Dr. Jean beliefs that everything in the universe is interconnected and there cannot be a disconnection between nature and self. A nurse must always be open to new developments which will enhance understanding of human nature.
References
Alligood, M. (2010). Nursing Theory Utilization & Application. St. Louis: C.V Mosby.
Marilyn, P. (2006). Nursing Theories & Nursing Practice. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis.
Watson, J. (2007). Theoretical questions and concerns: Response from a caring science framework. Nursing Science Quarterly, 20(1), 13-15.