The Nurse-Patient Relationship as a Moral Encounter: Advancing Nursing Science Through Caring Theory and Relational Ontology.

Background/Objectives: According to Watson's Human Care Theory, an improved environment influences patients' care processes. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of an improved environment, according to Watson's Human Care Theory, on sleep quality, anxiety, and depression in patients undergoing open heart surgery. Methods: Upon admission to the ward from the postoperative intensive care unit, the experimental group underwent environmental remediation for three days. The environmental arrangements ensured that the patient's room maintained an appropriate temperature range of 18-26 °C and humidity values of 30-50%. Monitoring took place at 21:00, 22:00, and 23:00 on Days 1, 2, and 3, at which times, the brightness of the patient rooms gradually decreased. On the morning of the fourth day, the patients were interviewed face to face, and research questionnaires were filled out (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier of the manuscript: NCT06744023). Results: After the implementation of an improved environment in accordance with Watson's Human Care Theory, the sleep duration of the patients in the experimental group (5.91 h) was higher than that of the control group (4.1 h). At the same time, the mean sleep quality score was measured as 300 ± 15.33 in the experimental group and 116.33 ± 14.94 in the control group. In addition, anxiety and depression levels were lower in the experimental group (5.63 ± 0.59; 4.53 ± 0.42) compared with the control group (12.03 ± 0.85; 10.03 ± 0.82). Conclusions: We recommend implementing improved environmental arrangements in accordance with Watson's Human Care Theory to improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety and depression levels in patients undergoing open heart surgery.

Objective: The purpose of this case report was to evaluate the effect of telehealth and postpartum care provided to a mother with maternal depression according to Watson's Theory of Human Caring during the pandemic on the improvement in the mother's emotional state and to evaluate the applicability of the model. Methods: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was administered to eight women who responded to the announcement made on social media, and verbal and written permission was obtained from the mother with the highest scale score. A total of six video calls were made with the mother via WhatsApp, twice a week in the first week after postnatal discharge and once a week in the next 4 weeks, in accordance with the form drawn up according to Watson's Theory of Human Caring. Results: In this study, it was observed that home-based telehealth and postpartum care provided using Watson's Theory of Human Caring, which includes a holistic approach, was very useful, and the care provided according to the model provided a positive improvement in the emotional state of the mother with depression. Conclusions: It was concluded that telehealth and postpartum care is useful in home-based care in extraordinary situations/quarantine conditions such as pandemic; care can also be provided in the form of telehealth service according to Watson's Theory of Human Caring to mothers with depression; and care provides positive improvement in the emotional state of mothers.

to reflect on the contributions of Jean Watson's theory to the nurses' holistic critical thinking. This is a theoretical reflection article, on which scientific productions about Jean Watson's human care theory, published in national and international periodicals, were based. Jean Watson's theory and its contribution to the nurses' holistic critical thinking; the interface of critical holistic thinking in teaching the nursing diagnosis process according to Watson's theory; contributions of critical holistic thinking to the nursing field. Jean Watson's theory is based on the humanistic aspects and on the ethical and spiritual dimensions of care, considering the characteristics of each individual and their bio-psycho-spiritual-social needs, which can contribute fundamentally to the development of holistic critical thinking and to the role of the nurse in care, teaching and research fields.

AimTo explain the feelings and experiences of nurses who survived COVID‐19 in their care and recovery processes, based on Watson's Theory of Human Care.BackgroundThe COVID 19 pandemic was an extraordinary time when nurses both took care of their patients and dealt with their illness by catching the disease themselves. In this process, nurses who contracted the disease experienced the fear of transmitting the disease to their relatives.MethodQualitative descriptive research design was used in this study. The sample consists of 15 nurses selected by the convenience sampling method and diagnosed with COVID‐19 and recovered. The data were collected in face‐to‐face interviews using the individual in‐depth interview method through a semi‐structured interview form. A thematic analysis was performed on the data according to the 10 carative factors of Watson's Theory of Human Caring.ResultsIt was determined that the spiritual and professional difficulties experienced by nurses who recovered from COVID‐19 during the disease and symptom management process were the fear of death, infecting their family members and losing them, and the importance of life.ConclusionIt is considered that care practices based on Watson's Theory of Human Caring will be beneficial in the management of these processes.Implications for Nursing ManagementNurses diagnosed with COVID 19 should be supported by the nursing management during their illness so that their negative experiences will not be repeated. Watson's Theory of Human Caring can help eliminate this sense of fear and loss.

Increasingly complex occupational demands along with varied educational and personal examples of caring, may impact the ability to deeply connect with patients. Literature has identified that nurses and patients have differing perceptions of caring behaviors. Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring provides a framework for care delivery that focuses on the caring nurse–patient relationship and the experience through the patients' lens.Caring healing relationships are at the core of professional nursing. The purpose of this project was to design and deliver an educational seminar based on Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring to newly graduated nurses to examine the impact on self-efficacy in caring behaviors.The project participants (N = 56) consisted of a nonprobability convenience sample of newly graduated nurses at a local faith-based community hospital. The educational intervention consisted of experiential learning activities to facilitate translating theory to practice. The study utilized the Caring Efficacy Scale (CES), which is an instrument based on Watson's caring theory and Albert Bandura's self-efficacy theory. Results demonstrated a significant improvement in caring efficacy between the preintervention (M = 5.1, SD = .47), and immediate post intervention (M = 5.5, SD = .38); t (52) = −9.09, p = .000.The knowledge from this study could provide insights for the development of effective teaching strategies to facilitate translating nursing theory to practice. Establishing and developing skills to facilitate nurturing, caring nurse–patient relationships may enhance both the patient and caregiver experience.

Jean Watson's Theory of Human Caring offers a relevant and contemporary framework for holistic nursing care. By redefining traditional paradigms, Watson's model positions transpersonal care as both a theoretical and practical pathway for holistic nursing practice. Empathy, as a foundational human experience present in all care encounters, is central to the holistic development of transpersonal care. This essay explores, from classical and contemporary philosophical perspectives, the concept of empathy within Watson's framework, relating its core concepts to nurse-patient encounters in holistic care. Empathy is examined as an existential mode of being-with-the-other, articulated with concepts such as intercorporeality, comprehensive understanding of the other's experience, and becoming-other. Two of Watson's Caritas® Processes are analyzed as spaces for holistic openness and empathic presence. The discussion highlights the importance of developing practices that transcend the technical-biological model, emphasizing the appreciation of alterity and the cultivation of dignified, sensitive, ethical, and transformative bonds in holistic care. Empathy is also discussed in relation to mindfulness, understood as an intentional practice that integrates body, mind, spirit, and heart, fostering compassionate listening. The article offers new philosophical perspectives and highlights the relevance of empathy in advancing holistic nursing care.

Summary This qualitative study utilized focus group methodology to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a nurse‐directed HIV/AIDS facility based on Jean Watson's theory of human caring (1985a,b, 1988, 1990). The focus group method proved to be a humanistic means of evaluating consumer satisfaction congruent with Watson's theory of human caring. Different concerns of research informants in different stages of the HIV/AIDS disease process were elicited; in addition, many of the informants elected to tell their stories of living with HIV/AIDS. These stories were profoundly moving and informative regarding the realities of living with HIV/AIDS in an under‐prepared social and health‐care system. A consistent theme emerging from the data was the high value the clients placed on the caring behaviour shown by nursing staff. This study was the beginning of an empirical validation of the tenets of Watson's theory of human caring in nursing, and demonstrated the applicability of caring theory in practice.

To describe the expectations of children with cancer about the healing care environment during hospitalization based on Watson's Theory of Human Caring. A descriptive qualitative research design was used in this study. Data were collected between December 2019 and February 2020 from purposively selected children with cancer in a paediatric haematology and oncology clinic at a university hospital in Turkey. Twelve participants (7 females and 5males) aged 10-17 were recruited to carry out individual semi-structured interviews. All interviews were recorded via a digital audio recorder and transcribed verbatim. The content analysis method was used to analyse the data. As a result of the analysis, three main themes with related sub-themes were identified that revealed the expectations of children with cancer: 'healing care behaviors', 'creating the physical environment of the hospital' and 'support from the social environment'. Watson's Theory of Human Caring may be a useful and applicable guide for drawing a conceptual framework of the expectations of children with cancer regarding a healing care environment. The study revealed these children's need for humanistic, compassionate, honest and problem-focused care. In addition, participants wished for improvements in the physical environment. They also stated that they feel lonely and need social support from their family, peers and society. This study presents a comprehensive picture of the expectations regarding a healing care environment (caring behaviours and physical and social aspects) of hospitalized children with cancer undergoing treatment. The qualitative findings generated by our study have the potential to facilitate these children's healthy adjustment to the hospital environment and procedures during hospitalization. Knowledge acquired through this study may be used to shape nursing care, enhance the healing care environment, and ensure that hospital design and setting are acceptable to and appropriate for paediatric patients.

The effects of reflexology on anxiety, depression and quality of life in patients with gynecological cancers with reference to Watson's theory of human caring

This study aims to investigate the experiences of survivors of COVID‐19 in Turkey. The research questions and results are structured according to Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. The study was conducted using a descriptive qualitative research design. The phenomenological method was used to explore the experiences of survivors of COVID‐19. A total of 34 survivors of COVID‐19 were included in the study. Data were collected using semi‐structured and open‐ended questions online and via telephone interviews between February and March 2020. Data were evaluated using thematic analysis and descriptive analysis. Six main themes and twenty‐five sub‐themes were defined that describe the experiences of survivors of COVID‐19 regarding the illness: (a) Denial and adaptation, (b) Fear, (c) Feeling of hopelessness, (d) Preventions (e) Meaning attribution, and (f) Metaphors about COVID‐19. Information from this research may be used by healthcare professionals to develop new strategies for the care of survivors of COVID‐19. Moreover, it can be said that Watson’s Theory of Human Caring is suitable for monitoring the psychosocial development of patients with COVID‐19.

This article proposes using Thich Naht Hanh's concept of interbeing and the practice of mindfulness as a bridge to understanding Jean Watson's theory of human caring. An explanation and comparison of both approaches are provided in narrative and table form. Simple mindfulness practices of nonjudgmental attention to thoughts and awareness of breath are described to provide a starting point for teaching and action. A deeper understanding of interbeing and the theory of human caring, and how they relate to one another, is possible through the practice of mindfulness. Creative utilization of this alternative teaching approach may enhance student understanding of complex principles when teaching Watson's theory.

Watson's human caring theory is widely used in nursing clinical practice, education, and research; however, further discussion on the application of this theory in administration is needed. The authors in this article aim to substruct Watson's theory of human caring for nursing administration. Major elements of the theory-transpersonal caring dimensions, caring competencies, and caring moments-are presented in a model of substruction that links the theoretical basis to methodology. In conclusion, this theory can be used as a framework or a conceptual model in nursing administration within an organization.

Criticisms of existing nursing theories in relation to community health nursing practice are that they focus on individuals and have been developed primarily for practice within the context of infirmity and disease, making them inadequate to guide community health nursing practice. Despite being developed for individuals, Watson's theory is proposed as a nursing framework that is philosophically congruent with contemporary global approaches to community health and health promotion. An overview of her theory identifies the centrality of caring, holism, and ecology in the theory as it has evolved over the past 20 years. Concepts developed for individual-nurse interactions are extrapolated to the community in a discussion of the suitability of the theory to guide community health nursing practice. A community assessment tool based on Watson's theory is provided.

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of the clinical education program based on Watson's human caring theory on coping and anxiety levels of nursing students. The research sample consisted of the intervention (n = 53) and the control (n = 53) group. A statistically significant difference was determined in anxiety mean scores (P < .001) and the self-confident approach, the social-support seeking approach, the unconfident approach, and the submissive approach subscales of coping with stress in students of the intervention group compared to the control group (P < .05). It is recommended that the clinical education program based on Watson's caring theory is used during the clinical education of nursing students.

The theory of human caring is essential as a guiding framework in nursing practice. The theory prioritises the humanistic aspects of healing and well-being. However, none of the studies have applied this theory to developing concepts for pressure ulcer (PU) care. This study aimed to develop a concept of PU care based on the theory of human caring. This study utilised Walker and Avant's approach along with Watson's theory of human caring. A review of English-language publications from 2000 to 2024 was conducted across multiple databases, including Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, CINAHL, SAGE Journals, SpringerLink and Google Scholar. The study proposed an operational definition of PU care based on Watson's theory of human caring. The theory's carative factors were integrated to enhance wound healing. This model provides a meaningful philosophical foundation and emphasises the holistic unity of mind, body and spirit in relation to the PU care. The model encourages nurses to move beyond technical proficiency and integrate the art of caring into their practice. Additionally, close collaboration among healthcare professionals, families and patients is essential for delivering efficient and effective care.