The power of human caring: early recognition of patient problems

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the processes used by critical care nurses in the early recognition of patient problems. Patient-care narratives related by the 30 nurses who participated in the study revealed that caring, as manifested by an involved stance from the nurse, can actually heighten nurses' perceptions, thus improving assessment skills so as to allow early recognition of patient problems. This power of caring was sharply contrasted with situations where the recognition of patient problems was delayed or never occurred and that were characterized by a detached relationship between the nurse and patient. In this study, nurses confirmed that caring heightened their perceptions, improved assessment skills, and enabled the early recognition of patient problems. Clearly, practices that evolve from an involved stance from the nurse can make a difference in patient outcomes.