Introduction
Self-care is crucial to nursing, as it enables healthcare professionals to treat patients with compassion and humanity. It is a treatment procedure for the sick to ensure a conducive environment. Patients learn to care for themselves in critical conditions, thereby becoming more independent (Asadi et al., 2019).
Education provided to patients improves their lives, as they gain essential knowledge about their disease, enabling them to learn how to manage their daily activities. Through this, there are reduced cases of pain, discomfort, and death among the reported patients. This article primarily aims to analyze the concept of self-care in order to better understand and differentiate it from related terms.
Purpose of Analysis
The study’s primary purpose is to analyze the concept of self-care in the nursing field. The influence created on the patients and how their quality of life is improved through the concept is also analyzed. Furthermore, the analysis will highlight the importance of self-care to humanity and its impact on improving the conditions of critically ill patients.
Self-care analysis in this study is crucial in educating patients on managing their health without relying too heavily on healthcare providers (Dedefo et al., 2019). They will be empowered to manage their environment while they are sick, administer medications independently, and monitor their own progress. The problem of nurse shortages in hospitals will be addressed by ensuring that each patient receives adequate attention.
The nursing theory that utilizes this concept is Orem’s theory of self-care. Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory defined nursing as “Helping other individuals offer and manage self-care to improve their health at home level.” Her theory posits that remaining functional and alive among individuals, as well as maintaining constant communication, are essential, allowing important messages to be passed (Fotokian et al., 2021).
The ability to offer professional services involves identifying needs and making necessary judgments. Her theory defines nursing, humans, the environment, and health. The environment consists of biological, physical, and chemical features. Health refers to the state of being structurally and functionally sound.
According to Orem, the nursing field involves three primary activities: providing patient care, instructing patients on self-care management, and assisting the sick in achieving their primary objective of self-care. He further describes self-care as patient-initiated activities to sustain their life without depending on the nurses. They enable an individual to recognize body signs and symptoms and seek medical help.
Identification of Concept
Relevant Research
Self-Care: A Concept Analysis
In the article “Self-Care: A Concept Analysis,” the authors’ main objective is to evaluate the concept of self-care through education and evaluation. Walker and Avant’s methods were utilized in the analysis, and various databases, including CINAHL, PubMed, and EBSCOhost, were used to gather information. Three defining attributes seen in the article include awareness, self-control, and self-reliance. Patients with chronic illnesses and the COVID-19 pandemic have been examined, where self-care has been a major factor in managing their condition. As a primary motive for developing self-care knowledge, the increasing costs of medication have contributed to problems concerning recovery, hence the need for independence among patients.
Martinez and his colleagues predicted that self-care would be a primary solution to chronic illnesses. The victims need to take control of their health to avoid the high costs of dialysis and other services, thereby accomplishing the plan (Martínez et al., 2021). The need for patient education has been incorporated to enable the patients to become aware of what is expected of them. Cases illustrating this concept have been explained with appropriate experiments and data analysis methodologies. Therefore, a valid definition of the term “self-care” has been clearly illustrated.
Patients, when it comes to their health, have preferred cost-effective self-care interventions. Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, individual responsibility has been emphasized as the most effective approach to curb the spread. Some preventive measures include isolating victims, imposing lockdowns, and wearing masks. Following these guidelines calls for individual responsibility and care. All these rules aim to create safe conditions for the sick, especially those in quarantine units. In summary, a detailed definition of self-care was the clarified ability to protect oneself through self-resilience, awareness, and self-control to achieve effective health conditions.
Professional Nurses’ Facilitation of Self-Care in Intensive Care Units: A Concept Analysis
The article’s main objective is to give an in-depth analysis of self-care in the intensive care unit. Further, the defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents are outlined. Walker and Avant’s framework was adopted to analyze the concept of self-care and accomplish the main aim. Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory and her concepts have been used to elaborate the approach by linking it to practical consent. In her illustration, nurses have been exposed to a methodology they can apply in ICU units to enable patients to monitor their health progress and records.
Additionally, a detailed definition has been introduced to illustrate the concept presented. The borderline, model, and contrary cases have been constructed to emphasize the idea discussed further. The results of the final analysis recognized seven attributes: interaction, process, activity, capability, autonomous choice, education, and self-control.
The antecedents discussed include self-motivation, participation, commitment, resources, religious and cultural beliefs, social, spiritual, and professional support, as well as time availability (Chip & Downing, 2020). The consequences include maintaining health, well-being, autonomy, increased self-esteem, disease prevention, empowerment, enhanced social support, and effective stress management. In conclusion, the results of the concept analysis were used to illustrate a model that facilitates professional nurses’ self-care in the intensive care unit.
Self-Care in the Older Adult Population with Chronic Disease: Concept Analysis
The article gives the origin of self-care, which was introduced into nursing review in the 1950s. It refers to the practical and positive activities that individuals undertake to enhance their well-being and personal development. Primarily, it considers the older adult population to be vulnerable to chronic disease infection. The elderly need an intensive guide to be independent, since, at this age, they can rarely perform some activities independently. Some slight differences in how the old are given help are highlighted across the various disciplines.
The findings from this study illustrate common attributes of self-care, including the process of looking after oneself, which leads to long-lasting individual benefits, such as improved self-care and enhanced well-being. Education and knowledge to eliminate illiteracy, confidence, ability to engage in some tasks, collaborative relationships, and action skills governed towards goals, needs, and health issues (Alqahtani & Alqahtani, 2022). Self-care activities encompass practical, social, spiritual, physical, and psychological aspects. Practical decision-making skills lead to adherence, positive attitudes, active change participation, role management, and resource utilization.
Three types of antecedents for self-care were discovered in this article, including those related to healthcare providers, clients, and systems. The acknowledged positive consequences included improved health and well-being, knowledge acquisition, increased awareness, disease adaptation, and symptom alleviation. The identified negative consequences include low-performance results, weak power possession, increased autonomy, and insufficient confidence and self-esteem. In summary, the paper highlighted the definition of self-care among older patients, its attributes, references, antecedents, consequences, and other related concepts. Furthermore, it emphasized that once nurses accurately understand the concept of self-care, they will adopt nursing guidelines and interventions to enable individuals to manage their conditions independently.
Significance to Nursing
An examination of diverse literature indicates the implementation of the healthcare concept in nursing. Self-care can be applied in various settings, including medicine, nursing theory, nursing practice, and psychology (Eller et al., 2018). A myriad of definitions of these ideas are made throughout these disciplines. In nursing, self-care is an intervention that nurses provide, involving patient education and evaluation.
Education on essential healthcare practices enables individuals to improve their health conditions and develop independent living skills. It replenishes a nurse’s ability to offer empathy and compassion to the sick, thereby improving the overall quality of care. The effective utilization of these sentiments helps manage cases of chronic illnesses in patients. It reduces anxiety and stress among nurses as they learn how to effectively handle patients.
Cultural sensitivity is emphasized to avoid conflicts with the sick. The victims also develop self-esteem, hence protecting their mental health. Most importantly, it fosters a positive relationship between patients and caregivers, making the treatment process easier and more effective. Similarly, medical professionals apply self-care when communicating with patients regarding symptoms and observations.
Freedom of expression enables the patients to give clear information, facilitating the diagnosis procedure for better decision-making. In some situations, ineffective interaction skills may create fear and tension in the sick, leading to an inappropriate diagnosis. This affects them in the future, as they receive the wrong medications, potentially causing more harm. Physicians recommend that patients adopt healthy practices to maintain their health (Barry et al., 2020). Regular exercise and a balanced diet are essential guidelines.
On the other hand, nursing psychologists utilize self-care when determining appropriate behavior for emotional restoration. They provide guidance and counseling services to individuals with diverse societal needs and concerns. This minimizes depression cases, which, in severe conditions, lead to suicide attempts. Additionally, psychologists apply this concept in guiding and counseling patients (Hossain & Clatty, 2020). It fosters a healthy and supportive professional climate, as employees develop self-care activities and practices that reduce work-related stress, exhibiting increased compassion and resilience.
Definitions
The term “self-care” has various definitions among organizations and individuals. The definition of the concept is critical in developing attributes related to self-care. According to Avant and Walker, self-care is an individual act to enhance health conditions by improving, treating, restoring, or preventing illness.
This concept encompasses all medical decisions made by the family and the community at large (Wei et al., 2019). They further emphasized that self-care satisfies all basic needs, enabling individuals to attain adaptability, integrate self-care into their daily routines, and gain independence. Dean defines self-care as involving the maintenance of health behaviors, taking favorable preventive measures, and interacting with the professional sector.
The Department of Health in the UK defines it as the activities, careers, and individuals undertake for their children, families, and others to maintain healthy mental and physical health, thereby meeting psychological and social needs. These initiatives are aimed at preventing accidents and illnesses, caring for long-term conditions, and promoting well-being after recovery from long-term illnesses. The English Dictionary defines it as the care of an individual without professional or medical consultation (Riegel et al., 2019). The World Health Organization defines self-care in health as the actions taken by families, communities, and individuals to prevent disease, restore health, limit illness, and enhance quality of life. These activities are derived from professional skills and knowledge gained in the field.
Related Terms
An analysis of different literature was done, and the following terms were found to be used interchangeably with the concept of self-care: self-monitoring, self-management, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. Self-management is defined as the inner ability of human beings to regulate their exercise, thoughts, abilities, lifestyle, and emotions (Depp et al., 2019). These personal attributes are critical since they are the most essential preventive measures.
Diet forms the basis of development and influences the body’s immunity to fight diseases. A balanced meal cooperates with the intake of all the essential nutrients required to eliminate insufficiency. Emotional control leads to positive thinking, reducing cases of stress and depression, which are linked to mental illnesses.
Self-compassion refers to defining attributes of kindness and consideration attitudes. Individuals should avoid situations that torture their emotions, making them emotionally unstable. They should be involved in activities that give them opportunities for positive expression, such as sports and listening to music.
Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief in inventing and implementing plans without follow-up (Martela & Pessi, 2018). It involves taking individual responsibility in making plans that benefit society at a personal level. In this setup, the healthcare personnel apply this concept in the treatment process, where they acquire knowledge and skills that make them more creative through training.
Self-regulation includes the individual’s efforts to modify and control emotions, thoughts, and behavior to achieve care goals and objectives. It comprises the control of internal behavior, such as developing positive thoughts. The case of patients with mental conditions may originate from a failure to regulate one’s thinking capacity.
Antecedents
Self-motivation is an individual driving force that pushes them to work hard to achieve the set goals and objectives. In their daily duties, healthcare professionals have specific objectives to achieve. They work on their efficiency by ensuring they are committed to their work and do it willingly.
Consistency and commitment result in long-term professional and personal benefits of self-care. Active involvement and participation in self-care are a result of individual motivation. Making these efforts involves commitment, where the workers are willing to offer services under challenging work conditions.
Human and financial resources mobilization is critical in the treatment process in the hospital setup. Other essential facilities include admission beds, treatment equipment, operating theaters, and consultation rooms. Inpatients requiring intensive care can receive it to recover fully from their conditions. Sufficient finances are required to maintain these facilities, and in case of shortages, new ones are stocked.
Doctors and nurses, on the other hand, offer patient care services (Zhu et al., 2019). The treatment process will be impossible without their presence. They must have proper supervision from the hospital management to offer effective services. The hospital managers should organize continuous coaching and mentoring programs to retain their skill sufficiency. Further, motivation informed by remuneration improves their working morale and increases knowledge inquiry.
Nurses interact with patients from diverse backgrounds and, hence, different cultural and religious beliefs. In some communities, members of society prefer traditional herbs for healing and not to take manufactured medicine. These disagreements bring misunderstanding during treatment, making it difficult for nurses to handle patients with such norms. However, they are required to offer advice that can make the sick develop positive attitudes toward medication.
In religion, Muslims believe that self-care is the first part of caring. This emphasis is critical because the family and society prioritize the sick to ensure comfort (Zhu et al., 2019). On the other hand, Christians have considered medication, and in most gatherings, they preach about care and healthy living strategies.
Socialization involves daily interaction with friends, colleagues, and family members. Through this, people learn how to live in a society peacefully and healthily. Problems arising can be shared without causing misunderstanding, and solutions can be found. Self-care involves meaningful and non-toxic relationships that pose no threats to individuals. Toxic events interfere with one’s emotional growth, which may lead to stress and depression in severe conditions.
Time availability is essential for any working personnel, influencing how they organize their activities. Professional nurses spend most of their time in intensive care units, and failure to manage their time well may lead to many disadvantages. They will lack opportunities to perform self-care routines like relaxing, attending to basic needs, and engaging in leisure time with family, which damages positive relationships (Zhu et al., 2019). Therefore, proper time management skills are an advantage to nurses for efficiency.
Consequences
Self-care practice leads to long-term professional and personal benefits, including well-being and health. Being healthy refers to the whole state of mental, social, spiritual, and psychological aspects. Taking disease preventive measures like eating a balanced diet and exercising is essential in ensuring healthy conditions. Negative thinking triggers the emotional aspect, leading to unwanted mental conditions. Experiences of trauma in the past can also interfere with the present life by unfolding unwanted scenes.
Autonomy results from independence from healthcare professionals, where they take personal duties towards their lives. They must dress appropriately as they interact with patients since they may encounter some airborne diseases. Wearing facemasks and aprons in consultation rooms is an important safety measure. Self-esteem is built through positive thinking, where negative feelings towards an individual’s looks and abilities affect their character. Cases of social bullying by nurses towards patients should be avoided to create a favorable healing environment.
Creating awareness of common diseases and how to prevent them reduces cases reported in hospitals. Standard practices, such as washing hands after visiting the toilets, ensure hygiene maintenance. Additionally, the recent COVID-19 pandemic required education of the patients to reduce the chances of contracting the infection.
Other measures implemented included keeping social distance, self-isolation, and regular checkups. Quarantine measures separated the victims to avoid contact and reduce the spread of the disease. Social gatherings were also banned since they involved large crowds, making them riskier.
Social support in the workplace involves creating a team where all members are valued. Management leaders consider every opinion before making decisions that affect the entire organization. Through this, there will be reduced chaos and conflicts that may arise from diverse thinking and ways of solving issues (Alfi Amalia & Lubis, 2021). Empowerment involves nurses participating in workshops where they are trained on additional critical and essential skills. Stress management strategies play a role in nursing by providing better alternatives for handling the sick.
Development of Cases
Model Case
Jane is a professional nurse aged 40 and works in the ICU unit in one of the largest hospitals in America. She leads shifts and supervises other workmates to ensure quality patient care. She recently divorced his husband and has three school-going children. She attends a 12-hour shift job daily and nightly from Monday to Sunday.
Jane hardly sets aside time to interact with her family and friends. She has an obesity condition, and her weight is 120 kilograms. Due to the long working hours, she rarely cooks food at home and prefers buying meals from nearby restaurants for herself and her family.
While at home, she rarely interacts with her children and spends most of her time browsing online. She is swamped in the care unit at the workplace and does not have breaks to relax or interact with other staff members. On her rest days, she prefers to work since there is a shortage of workers in the hospital. Extra hours are aimed at getting enough money to pay school fees and settle bills.
After some time, she began experiencing numbness in the left side of her body, and upon medication, she was diagnosed with hypertension. These made it difficult for her to attend to her daily duties. Her doctor prescribed an amlodipine drug and advised her on the importance of self-care for healing.
She decided to change her lifestyle to control her pressure. She set aside time to exercise daily, walk to work, and cook healthy food. She set aside some weekends for a vacation with her children, where they share and interact on matters concerning life. Further research on how to control stress at the workplace was done, making her more reliable in terms of her health.
Sometimes, she engages colleagues in their talks, where they share difficult life events. Jane became more concerned about how to take care of her physical, social, mental, and emotional state. Balancing her work and home made her lose weight, and she was complimented by her children and colleagues, increasing her self-esteem.
The above model is effective since Jane illustrated the attributes of self-reliance, awareness, and control. Despite her nature before being diagnosed with high blood pressure, she changed her character. After being informed of her condition, he took the necessary precautions to restore her body.
Exercising and interacting with family and workmates allowed her to manage the situation and change their behavior. Self-reliance is demonstrated in her ability to adopt a new lifestyle without barriers. Self-care received support from her recognition, efficacy, positive cultural and social environment, and cognition.
Contrary Case
Mercy is a 45-year-old nurse in a hospital who is concerned with mentally ill patients. She is overweight and has been diagnosed with obesity, smokes, and takes drugs to relieve stress from her workplace. After feeling unwell, she visited her doctor, who gave her drugs to manage the condition. However, she failed to take the medication since the side effects were too complex for her. She refuses to take off because she needs more money to purchase the abused drugs.
Mercy rarely interacts with her workmates to share some of her challenges, making her more vulnerable. She stays alone at home and does not recall any family or friends. His neighbor Charles advised her to go for counseling, but it was in vain.
Physical exercise is not an everyday routine, as she drives to work. This condition has affected all the essential aspects of his life, making her a misfit in society. Mercy wears dirty clothes to work, and most of her workmates tease her, lowering her self-esteem.
In the above contrary case, Mercy lacks the defining attributes of self-control, reliance, care, and awareness. She fails to control her drug addiction, making her less effective at work. Health complications that have come along cannot be managed since she fails to practice self-care in her life. The advice to undergo rehabilitation by the neighbors has been ignored, worsening the condition. The case is compelling as it illustrates the failure of Mercy to demonstrate attributes related to care and, therefore, to make it favorable.
Criteria/Attributes of Concept
Operational Definition
The criteria for developing the above concept revolved around self-efficacy, recognition, and agency. The study aimed to come up with an operational definition of self-care. The consideration of the theoretical model gave a basis for judgment.
From the analysis, improved lifestyle, decision, family, adherence, and prevention influence the concept of self-care. The attributes involved included self-control, reliance, and awareness. An operational definition of the term was found based on the results of the different literature searches. Self-care was, therefore, further defined as the ability to care for oneself through self-reliance, control, and awareness. This is objected to achieving and maintaining optimal well-being and health conditions.
Conclusion
In summary, self-care is critical for nurses and patients. Sick people can control their status through medication administration and other precautions. Diverse applications of the concept in other disciplines are essential to solving common problems. The paper’s primary purpose can be seen from the discussion, as it focuses on applying the concept of self-care to the nursing profession. Model and contrary cases have been illustrated above to identify and clarify the idea.
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