Caring. Core value, currency, and commodity ... is it time to get tough about "soft"?

Consumers of health care expect caring behaviors and become satisfied and loyal customers when their health experience included caring. In today's health care environment, however, caring often takes a back seat to task completion and capital expenditures. Caregivers may feel caring, but they often provide care without regard for how patients prefer to experience caring. Caring theorists provide a framework of patient centered caring to guide professional practice. Stories of caring that occur in spite of diminished resources are inspirational and illustrate these theories. Chief nursing officers share a unique opportunity and imperative to assure that caring stories, the essence of our work, routinely inform decisions made in the executive suite and boardroom.