Abstract

BackgroundCaring for patients is the core aspect of nursing and a cornerstone of all nursing duties. Although caring is seen as a critical component of nursing delivery and an essential characteristic of nursing, there seems to be a gap between theory and practice.AimThe aim of this article was to explore and describe the experiences of caring for patients by professional nurses in public health clinics in Ekurhuleni.SettingThe study was conducted in Ekurhuleni, an area east of the Gauteng Province in two public health clinics.MethodsA qualitative, exploratory, descriptive phenomenological and contextual research design was used. In-depth, individual phenomenological interviews were conducted with eight purposefully sampled professional nurses to explore their experiences of caring for patients in public health clinics in Ekurhuleni. Data were analysed using Giorgi’s coding method.ResultsTwo themes were revealed in the study findings. The first theme was the experienced empowering aspects of caring while the second theme was the experienced disempowering aspects of caring. The experienced empowering aspects of caring had two categories: empowering interpersonal experiences and the empowering experiences through client affirmation. These were identified by the participants as enabling effective caring for patients. The experienced disempowering aspects of caring also had two categories: disempowering interpersonal experiences and the disempowering experiences resulting from public health clinic system challenges. The disempowering aspects were identified by participants as disenabling effective caring for patients.ConclusionThe study findings reveal that the professional nurses had empowering and disempowering experiences while caring for patients in the public health clinics.

Highlights

  • Caring is an act associated with assisting others, accompanied by compassion, kindness, empathy, respect, helpfulness, patience, mercy and integrity

  • Participants in this study identified the empowering aspects of caring as enabling them to render effective caring for patients while the aspect of feeling disempowered because of the public health clinic system challenges was regarded as disenabling

  • Disempowering experiences with the public health clinic system seemed to disenable the participants from rendering effective caring for patients

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Summary

Introduction

Caring is an act associated with assisting others, accompanied by compassion, kindness, empathy, respect, helpfulness, patience, mercy and integrity. While regarded as an essential feature and expression of being human, caring is widely accepted as a core characteristic of nursing.[1] Caring actions by professional nurses are essentially related to helping patients to alleviate their pain and distress in a systematic way, while being associated with the qualities of respect, patience, trust, honesty, communication, dedication and a positive attitude. A caring attitude is vital in the nursing profession to ensure the development of trust in the nurse– patient relationship.[2]. Caring for patients is the core aspect of nursing and a cornerstone of all nursing duties. Caring is seen as a critical component of nursing delivery and an essential characteristic of nursing, there seems to be a gap between theory and practice

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