Application of Watson’s Theory of Human Caring (Essay Sample)

Application of Watson’s Theory of Human Caring Student’s First Name, Middle Initial(s), Last Name Institution Affiliation Course Number and Name Instructor’s Name and Title Assignment Due Date Application of Watson’s Theory of Human Caring Nursing theories register a significant impact on nursing practice. These theories serve as conceptual frameworks that empower healthcare providers to make informed decisions to apply evidence that supports quality care. Adopting nursing practice that relies on the guidelines of nursing theories significantly improves the quality of care delivered. For this reason, healthcare providers can rely on nursing theories in their efforts to establish the most effective interventions that meet patient needs. Moreover, nursing theories offer principles that enhance important nursing knowledge that helps healthcare providers make a better contribution to improving positive patient outcomes. The nursing theories also help emphasize the role of healthcare providers in promoting health and wellness (Wei & Watson, 2019). Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring is one of the conceptual frameworks that empower healthcare providers to register a positive difference in patients’ lives through the provision of care. The theory highlights multiple carative factors that healthcare providers can implement to foster the well-being of patients. For example, applying this theory can help prevent bacterial infections during the post operation period for patients who have undergone surgery. The increased vulnerability of postoperative patients to bacterial infections and sepsis necessitates the application of Watson’s theory to foster the quality of care delivered. An Outcome of Nursing Practice that Needs Improvement After undergoing a surgical operation, patients can develop potential complications during the recovery process. Specifically, these patients are prone to an increased risk for acquiring bacterial infections and sepsis, which can threaten the patient’s overall health. Therefore, postoperative patients need close attention and evidence-based approaches to prevent the development of infections and sepsis. Proper post-surgical care determines whether patients will register positive outcomes during recovery (Clark, 2016). The available evidence demonstrates that the quality of nursing care provided determines whether postoperative patients will be more susceptible to bacterial infections and sepsis. Acquiring these complications is a nursing practice outcome that reveals gaps in meeting patient needs and taking proactive measures to reduce the prevalence of bacterial infections and sepsis during the recovery period. The prevention of bacterial infections and sepsis fosters the well-being of patients and enhances the quality of their lives during the recovery period. Developing bacterial infections and sepsis introduces multiple health complications, lengthens the hospital stay, and translates to emotional and physical pain and suffering. When patients acquire these infections during the postoperative period, they must receive further interventions to curb the infections, which causes distress to the patients (Gifford et al., 2011). Common postoperative infections include urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and septicemia. The early signs of infection may include a hot incision, discharge from the incision, pain when urinating, redness, and swelling of the incision site. It is possible to apply Watson’s theory of caring to reduce the occurrence of postoperative infections and sepsis. Summary of Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring Jean Watson’s theory of human caring highlights that it is impossible to separate humans from the self, nature, and others. Therefore, the theory pays attention to a holistic nursing perspective while emphasizing the interpersonal relations between the healthcare providers and the patients. The focus of the theory is the centrality of human caring as well as the transpersonal relationship between nurses and patients and its associated healing capacity to both parties (Clark, 2016). Watson highlighted that the caring process is beneficial to nurses and their patients. Through the provision of nursing care, nurses can experience a transformative and healing outcome because of the self-actualization involved. To experience these positive outcomes, nurses must exhibit authentic presence and intend to deliver quality care. These attributes make it easier for the nurses to undergo self-healing, which prepares them to facilitate the healing of the patients. Exhibiting empathy and compassion and forging a meaningful relationship with patients enhances the healing process while registering benefits to the patients and nurses. The theory comprises three concepts: the transpersonal caring relationship, the caring moment for the patients, and the ten Caritas processes (Hagel & Scheuerlein, 2014). Watson’s theory reveals that only the interpersonal process between patients and nurses can foster the demonstration of caring. The ten carative factors that Watson described are the critical determinants of the ability of nurses to meet human needs. For nurses to deliver effective care, they must forge a loving and caring relationship with patients and adopt a healthy mind, spirit, and body in preparation for care delivery. The Concepts in Watson’s Theory that can Potentially Represent the Selected Outcome From a critical perspective, the transpersonal personal relationship serves as the concept of Watson’s theory of human caring that can represent the selected outcome. In this context, the selected outcome involves the acquisition of bacterial infections and sepsis in the postoperative period. In the view of Watson, the transpersonal caring relationship is a concept that embarks on implementing interventions that can help patients experience a significant harmony in their body, mind, and spirit (Pajnkihar, McKenna, et al., 2017). The transpersonal caring relationship exhibits a clear consciousness and the intentionality of promoting the holistic well-being of patients instead of narrowing down the focus to the disease. Nurses who have established transpersonal caring relationships have an honest desire to initiate authentic interactions with patients while maintaining a presence that impacts the patient’s healing process. In the context of the selected outcomes, healthcare providers would pay attention to fostering the holistic well-being of the patient by reducing the prevalence of bacterial infections and sepsis (Sitzman & Watson, 2018). Specifically, being a transpersonal nurse will motivate the healthcare provider to proactively provide patients with treatment to prevent bacterial infections prior to the surgical procedure. When nurses have the proper perspective and intentionality to deliver holistic care to patients, they can utilize the 10 Caritas processes to foster meaningful interactions with patients. The Caritas processes serve as clear reminders of the real focus of the nursing profession, which is fostering humanity. The Caritas processes emphasize that caring forms the fundamental element of nursing. Therefore, the Caritas processes empower nurses to establish meaningful human connections and shared experiences (Pajnkihar, Stiglic, et al., 2017). In the context of the selected outcome, nurses can utilize the Caritas processes to establish a loving-kindness relationship with patients by demonstrating compassionate behaviors and being present in a manner that helps them experience positive outcomes through the reduction of pain and discomfort (Tektaş & Çam, 2017). When nurses develop meaningful interactions with patients through the application of the ten Caritas, they will gain new abilities to reduce the pain and suffering of patients through the provision of prophylactic treatment, which helps control bacterial infections. In this context, the nurse will react to an evident sensitivity to the patient’s needs and initiate the approaches needed to control bacterial infection and promote the patients’ well-being. A nurse who recognizes the need to meet patient needs will exhibit compassion and empathy and take effective measures to combat bacterial infections and sepsis after the surgical procedure. Embracing compassion and empathy allows the nurse to nurture loving-kindness towards the self and the patient (Ozan & Okumuş, 2017). In such a context, the nurse becomes ready to deliver care from the heart while exhibiting significant respect towards the patient’s life and promoting overall well-being. Furthermore, embracing compassion motivates nurses to be more considerate of patients and apply the Caritas processes in fostering meaningful interactions that meet the needs of patients (Foss Durant et al., 2015). Watson’s theory conceptualizes how the nurse transitions from having the proper perspective towards well-being to establishing meaningful relationships with patients and subsequently working with the patient while exhibiting the Caritas processes. A Practice that can be Changed or Implemented and Influence the Outcome It is imperative to implement measures that can reduce the pain and suffering of patients that develop bacterial infections such as urinary tract infections after surgical procedures. For this reason, the provision of a preoperative dose to the patients can reduce the pain associated with bacterial infections (Favero et al., 2013). In addition, the use of prophylactic treatment can make it possible to reduce the prevalence of severe infections during the postoperative period. Nurses are responsible for initiating interventions that will reduce the risk of developing bacterial infections or the severity of such infections if they occur. Evidence-based practice can empower nurses to apply recent evidence in combating the occurrence of bacterial infections after surgical proced...