Abstract
Nurse–patient interactions based on caring behaviors ensure better working conditions and better-quality healthcare. The aim of this quantitative study is to examine how nurses self-assess the frequency of applying caring behaviors in nurse–patient interactions and to identify the differences in the application frequency of caring behaviors in relation to work experience and education level. The respondents were Bachelor of Science (BSc) nurses and nurses with basic training (VET) employed in different clinical departments of the Clinical Hospital Center in Croatia. The survey used the “Caring Nurse–Patient Interactions Scale (Nurse Version)”. The respondents assessed the caring behaviors from the subscale “needs” as the most frequently applied (median (Me): 4.7; interquartile range (IQR): 4.4–4.9), while the least frequently applied were the procedures from the subscale “sensitivity” (Me: 3.8; IQR: 3.2–4.3). The VET nurses reported applying caring behaviors to the subscales “hope” (p < 0.001), “problem-solving” (p = 0.003), and “environment” (p = 0.021) more frequently than BSc nurses did. Compared with less experienced respondents, the respondents with more than 30 years of work experience applied the caring behaviors on the subscales “sensitivity” (p = 0.009), “expression of emotions” (p = 0.001), “problem-solving” (p = 0.008), and especially “humanism” and “spirituality” (p < 0.001) more frequently. The results indicate that respondents are more focused on applying skills or carrying out a task than on caring behaviors which is about demonstrating compassion, loving kindness, and relationships.
Highlights
Nursing, like other healthcare professions, is based on the ideals of service to humanity [1,2].Nurse–patient interaction implies a professional and therapeutic relationship based on the planning, provision, and assessment of caring that satisfies a patient’s individual needs [2]
The results indicate that respondents are more focused on applying skills or carrying out a task than on caring behaviors which is about demonstrating compassion, loving kindness, and relationships
Vandenhouten et al [50] analyzed caring behaviors according to age, gender, and years of practice, and the results showed a significant difference between the perception of caring in older female nurses and in nurses with 20 or more years of work experience, who had higher caring scores [51]
Summary
Like other healthcare professions, is based on the ideals of service to humanity [1,2].Nurse–patient interaction implies a professional and therapeutic relationship based on the planning, provision, and assessment of caring that satisfies a patient’s individual needs [2]. The importance of nurse–patient interactions based on caring behaviors has been proven in philosophical discussions, theories, and innovative research by the renowned theoreticians Watson, Leininger, Boykin, and Swanson [4,5,6]. These theoreticians consider caring to be the essence of nursing and the key element of both effective nurse–patient interactions and high-quality healthcare. Even though Leininger and Watson have their own original nursing theories and ideas about nursing concepts for the year 2050, they both view caring as the essence of nursing [9]
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