Answer this discussion with two separated paragraphs with two references no more than 5 years. 

The provision of holistic care is an important aspect of Swanson’s middle-range theory. Swanson was inspired by Jean Watson’s theory of human caring and had considered the use of caring-based therapeutics and answers that will mold the practice of nursing ( Andershed, et al.,2009). Swanson (1991) defined caring “ As a nurturing way of relating to a valued other person, towards whom one feels a personal sense of commitment and responsibility “ (p 2). Swanson’s theory of caring comprises knowing, being with, doing for, enabling, and maintaining belief (Swanson, 1991).

According to Swanson  (1991), knowing is focused on listening, observing, and understanding another individual without making any assumptions. Being with is about being present, and allowing expression and sharing of feelings.  Doing for pertains to the nurse’s ability to anticipate the client’s needs and perform necessary skills that will provide comfort and protection for the individual ( Swanson, 1991). Swanson(1991) emphasized that enabling will help the individual’s growth concerning healing and self-care and the nurse should take the lead in providing information and assisting the individual to understand new information received. Nurses are encouraged to continue to promote a reciprocal discussion with the client and demonstrate support and validation of feelings. Maintaining belief is the ability of the nurse to foster a positive attitude and influence the client to feel the same. The nurse should assist the client and family to feel confident and be optimistic even in difficult situations (Swanson, 1991).

The five components of Swanson’s theory of caring encompass all the facets of the nursing metaparadigm- person, health, environment, and nursing. In providing care, nurses must take into consideration that the person is the main focus of nursing. (Mintz-Binder,2019). Swanson’s theory of caring focuses on addressing the person’s needs and providing holistic care after gathering objective information and knowing the person by utilizing effective communication.  The nurse, client, and family members need to practice a clear and structured way of communicating to appropriately address the client’s holistic needs.  The environment focuses on determining both internal and external factors that may influence the client’s health status (Mintz-Biner, 2019). The nurse needs to objectively assess the client’s living situation, availability of a support system, and how to understand these factors in achieving the best client outcomes. The nursing practice involves having an invaluable nurse-client relationship and this is realized with the utilization of the five components of Swanson’s theory of caring.

I realized that I have applied all the components of Swanson’s theory of caring in my nursing practice. I worked as a bedside clinician in Labor and Delivery unit for many years and in every client admission, I always view my client as an individual. I recognized that clients who are admitted to a hospital may have different levels of anxiety and I ensure that clients are provided with undivided attention, caring attitude and making them feel that they are heard and most importantly,  letting them know that nurses are always available to attend to their needs.

Health care organizations continuously strive to increase patient satisfaction scores. In this regard, evidence-based practices are utilized to improve patient satisfaction scores. According to Ellina, et al. (2019), caring is considered as an evaluation of service, and clients could feel satisfaction when care is rendered. Nurses consistently demonstrate a caring behavior that will mainly influence how clients evaluate care and services received during the hospital stay. Ellina, et al. (2019) emphasized that research had proven that there is a relationship between caring and hospital services and patient satisfaction. Swanson’s theory of caring provides direction for nursing practice. As nurses incorporate the five components of this theory into their practice, this will be beneficial in improving patient satisfaction scores and will significantly enhance nurses’ ability to be creative, innovative, and patient-specific in managing clients (Ellina, et al., 2019)

References:

References:

Ellina, A. D., Kusnanto, Adiutama, N. M., Sismulyanto, & Rusmawati. (2019). Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction and Nurse Caring Behaviour: Based on Swanson’s Theory. Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, 10(8), 2698–2702. https://doi-org.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.5958/0976-5506.2019.02277.0

Mintz-Binder, Ronda & DNP, RN. (2019). The connection between nursing theory and practice. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 17, 6-9. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NME.0000549615.05397.55

Swanson, K. M. (1991). Empirical development of a middle-range theory of caring. Nursing Research, 40(3), 161-166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547-5069.1993.tb00271.x