Nursing Theory
Presentation
Watson
Introduction
 Watson’s
theory is comprised of ten
primary carative factors.
 These factors essentially focus on
delineating psychosocial needs.
 Watson is the founder for the Center for
Human Caring in Colorado.
 Degrees were earned from the University
of Colorado were a BSN, MS, and PhD.
Assumptions
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1.Caring can be effectively demonstrated and practiced only
interpersonally.
2.Caring consists of carative factors that result in the satisfaction of certain
human needs.
3.Effective caring promotes health and individual or family growth.
4.Caring responses accept person not only as he or she is now but as what
he or she may become.
5.A caring environment is one that offers the development of potential
while allowing the person to choose the best action for himself or herself at
a given point in time.
6.Caring is more “healthogenic” than is curing. A science of caring is
complementary tothe science of curing.
7.The practice of caring is central to nursing.
(Feliciano, 2012).
Terise Gavar
Information and Concepts
 Human
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beings
Valued entities that are fully integrated selves
and greater than the sum of their parts
Should be nurtured, cared for, and
understood
Includes both the patient and the nurse
Information and Concepts
 Health
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A high level of mental, physical and social
functioning
Absence of illness
Having an ability to maintain activities of daily
living
Is based on human values and interest in the
welfare of others while considering health
promotion, health restoration, and illness
prevention
Information and Concepts
 Environment
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Caring is not genetic
It is a learned behavior
Caring is an essential part of the nursing
profession in the context of facilitating the
ability of a patient to cope with their
environment
There should be a healing environment
created. It should involve both the physical
and non-physical levels.
Information and Concepts
 Nursing
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Addresses patient needs from a holistic
standpoint including biophyiscal,psychosocial
and mental health needs.
What nurses contribute to the interaction with
the patient.
Develop and encourage openness to
understanding of self and others: Leads to
trust, shared feelings freely, and confidence.
Evaluation of the Nursing Model
 Assessment
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Includes observation and identification of
problems
Use of Evidence Based Practice
Defines variables that will be examined in
problem solving
Evaluation of the Nursing Model
 Plan
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Decides how variables will be measured or
examined
Specifies what data will be collected, by
whom and how much.
Evaluation of the Nursing Model
 Intervention
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Involves executing the aforementioned plan
Includes data collection
Evaluation of the Nursing Model
 Evaluation
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Involves examining the data to determine the
efficacy of intervention
Should involve interpretation of the results to
determine degree of effectiveness or lack
thereof.
May result in the formation of additional
hypothesis leading to more data collection or
different intervention
Clarifications
 This
philosophy is unique to nursing
because of the holistic approach to patient
care and definition of health and wellness.
 Influenced by clinical practice and actual
patient outcomes
 Berman et al (2008) found that if it is
combined with the nursing theory of
Rogers it can create a Unitary Caring
Science (p. 48).
Content
 Global
concepts are accurately and
articulately described.
Scope of View
 This
theory is limited because it places
priority on psychosocial functioning as
opposed to biophysical needs.
 The theory contains both abstract and
specific concepts, with a bias towards
abstract. Psychosocial adaptation and
functioning are more difficult to quantify
than biophysical healing.
Practice Application
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This theory is best applied in settings where the
nurse will have time to work on long term goals
and determine the efficacy of intervention.
Physical rehabilitation is a good example.
 This would be a difficult theory to apply in the
acute care setting as patients would need to
have needs like Airway, Breathing, Circulation
met and maintained before psychosocial issues
became applicable.
Case Scenerio
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A nurse enters a patient’s room who has their call light on and says, “What
do you want?” The patient responds, “My throat is very dry and I was
wondering if I could get a glass of water”. The nurse responds, “I don’t
have time for that right now and by the way you are NPO”. The patient
says, “what does NPO mean”? The nurse huffs and turns and walks out of
the room loudly commenting on the fact that she can’t believe the patient
would ask for water when they are NPO and they don’t even know what
that means. The aide walks in a little while later to find the patient crying.
When the patient is asked what is wrong, she states the nurse wouldn’t get
her any water and she doesn’t know what the term NPO means that the
nurse used. What should the aide do according to Watson’s theory? What
should the nurse have done differently according to Watson’s theory?
References
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Berman, A., Snyder, S., Kozier, B., & Erb, G. (2008). Fundamentals of nursing: Concepts, process, and practice. (8th ed. pp.
47-48). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Feliciano, J. (2012, Oct. 13). Jean Watson’s transpersonal care theory. Retrieved from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/33854915/Jean-Watson
Jean Watson's Theory of Nursing. (n.d.). nursing research articles, theories, reviews, education, administration, psychiatric
nursing, MCQs. Retrieved October 15, 2012, from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/
Lombardo, B., Eyre, C. (2011). Compassion fatigue: A nurse’s primer. The Online Journal for Issues in Nursing. 16(1). doi:
10.3912/OJIN.Vol16No01Man03
Ranheim, A., Kärner, A., & Berterö, C. (2012). Caring Theory and Practice-Entering a Simultaneous Concept
Analysis.
Nursing Forum, 47(2), 78-90. doi:10.1111/j.1744-6198.2012.00263.x
Wade, G.H., & Kasper, N., (2006). Journal of Nursing Education. Nursing students' perceptions of instructor caring: An
instrument based on Watson's theory of transpersonal caring. Vol 45, pp.162.Retrieved from
database EBSCO.
Williams, I., McDowell, J., & Kautz, D. (2011). A caring leadership model for nursing's future. International Journal
For Human Caring, 15(1), 31-35.