Care: what nurses say and what nurses do.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Theory
• Healthcare Practice
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Caring in nursing transcends mere attitudes or actions, involving the skillful application of knowledge to individual patient needs.
• The nurse-patient relationship is fundamentally built on trust, facilitated by a genuine caring approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present contemporary nurse theorists' perspectives on caring.
• To examine these theories within Australian and Canadian nursing practice, identifying similarities and differences.
• To underscore the global relevance and applicability of caring theory in nursing.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of contemporary nurse theorists' ideas on caring.
• Comparative analysis of nursing practice in Australia and Canada.
• Examination of the relational and contextual aspects of caring in nursing.

Main Results:

• Caring is conceptualized as an active verb, requiring nurses to use knowledge and skills to recognize patient uniqueness.
• Caring relationships foster trust, which is essential for the therapeutic nurse-patient interaction.
• Similarities in theoretical beliefs and national practices of caring were observed between Australia and Canada.

Conclusions:

• Caring theory offers significant value to global nursing practice.
• The context and relational nature of caring are central to most nursing interventions.
• Nurses should integrate theoretical knowledge of caring into their practical application to enhance patient care.