Components of Caring in the Fundamentals of Nursing

Wanting to help others inspires and sustains nursing.

At the very heart of what nurses do, caring has several parts. It begins with the impulse to help others, not in a cool, self-interested way, but with compassion, focusing primarily on what is best for the other person. Whether aiming to prevent sickness and injury, restore good health or bring comfort, caring expresses itself in how nurses communicate, approach problems, work with others and manage conflicts.

Definition

To do nursing well requires a genuine desire to help others.

In nursing, caring means striving to do good for others, note Ruth Craven and Constance Hirnle in their book "Fundamentals of Nursing, 4th Ed." (See Reference 1) The ethical code of the American Nurses Association proposes that nurses practice with compassion, note Craven and Hirnle. (See Reference 1) Doing good for others with compassion distinguishes nursing from many other pursuits.

Temperament

The nurse senses a patient's feelings without getting too involved in them.

Caring has a temperamental component. It involves empathy. Empathy is the process of feeling with others, notes the book "Social Psychology" by Roger Brown. (See Reference 2) Research suggests that some individuals lack sufficient empathy to be nurses, observe Katherine Fortinash and Patricia Holoday-Worret in their book "Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing" (See Reference 3) Others may have too much empathy, tending to over-identify and become excessively involved in patients' problems, suggest Fortinash and Holoday-Worret. (See Reference 3)

Communication

Verbally and non-verbally, the nurse informs, reassures, guides and instructs the patient.

Caring requires communication. Through words, gestures, attire, facial expressions, actions, tone and volume of voice, nurses comfort and inform patients as well as significant others, notes the book "Professional Nursing" by Kay Kittrell Chitty. (See Reference 4) Nurses foster communication through the use of open-ended questions and non-threatening remarks; by listening with an ear sensitive to the patient's concerns; by encouraging patients to elaborate; by providing patients with information or simply by remaining silent when no words would help, observe Craven and Hirnle. (See Reference 1)

Discipline

More than just an impulse, caring is a rigorous, constantly challenging discipline.

Caring manifests itself through the disciplined practice of the nursing process. Facilitating decisions, the nursing process aims to solve patient problems, states Chitty. (See Reference 4) Recognized by the American Nurses Association in 1991, the six-step process directs nurses to assess the patient; diagnose problems; identify desirable outcomes; plan interventions to attain those outcomes; implement interventions and evaluate their efficacy, note Craven and Hirnle. (See Reference 1)

Collaboration

Optimizing care requires teamwork involving physicians, technicians, nurses, pharmacists and many others.

Patients often need more attention than just one nurse can provide. Hence, caring often demands collaboration. Nurses collaborate with physicians, nurse aides and each other, notes Chitty. (See Reference 4) They strive to overcome potential obstacles to collaboration, recognizing the limits of their expertise, respecting cultural differences and allowing for communication and behavioral differences between men and women, Chitty observes. (See Reference 4)

Conflict Management

Conflicts between nurses can poison the workplace, discomfiting colleagues and hampering care.

Complicating the delivery of care, conflicts involving nurses often arise. In fact, nursing managers spend an average of 20 percent of their time dealing with conflict, writes Kathleen Cox, RN, in "Nursing Administration Quarterly." (See Reference 5) Consequently, managing conflict is an important component of care. Nursing managers must assess levels of conflict within individuals and within groups, implement measures to reduce stress in the workplace and promote a team-oriented culture, recommends Cox. (See Reference 5)

References

• "Fundamentals of Nursing, 4th Ed."; Ruth F. Craven and Constance J. Hirnle; 2003
• "Social Psychology, 2nd Ed."; Roger Brown; 1986
• "Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing, 2nd Ed."; Katherine M. Fortinash and Patricia A. Holoday-Worret; 2000
• "Professional Nursing: Concepts and Challenges, 3rd Ed."; Kay Kittrell Chitty; 2001
• "Nursing Administration Quarterly"; Kathleen B. Cox; April-June 2003

Resources

• American Nurses Association: Nursing Process