Nursing care seems straight forward in concept, but complex in practice. In school, we are taught pathophysiology, biology, disease processs, “ABC’s,” etcetera. These concepts are comparable to a chemists learning the periodic table of elements, but the practice of chemistry requires so much more. Importantly, nursing is at the front line of healthcare, and requires great attention to multiple intricate processes.
Modestly, caring in nursing can be defined as: compassion, combined with clinical knowledge. However, the process of care is a delicate art in which practitioners must: exercise prioritized clinical judgement, while implementing care-plans; apply evidence-based peer-reviewed knowledge; advocate for the patient; promote health through education; and provide improved situations by employing holistic care models. Nurses perform this while simultaneously satisfying multiple patients, and fulfilling institutional expectations. Minimally, all of these requirements must be met, and will probably go unrecognized. What does this mean to you? What effect does it have on the people you care for?
To illustrate patient expectations, Durkin, Gurbutt, and Carson (2018), mention that if compassion is missing from patient care experiences, the patients will, often times, communicate dissatisfaction. This review continues to list the repetitive themes of compassion extrapolated from several qualitative studies. These themes include: empathy, competence, connecting, awareness, and having time for patients (Durkin, Gurbutt, & Carson, 2018). With this in mind, it appears evident that nursing is a labor of love.
Topaz, et al. (2016) looks at the importance of asking patients if satisfaction has been achieved during their stay. This perspective is derived from a survey with yes and no as possible answers. When asked, the majority of patients provided answers that express their expectation towards discussing satisfaction with clinicians. The survey also highlights that the majority of nurses do not feel as if they are properly trained to meet patient expectations. This research has something more to offer than its data.
As we were taught in nursing school, therapeutic communication requires the use of open ended questions. In the research conducted by Topaz, et al. (2016), it would appear that the research is limited by the nature of the question. When asked if satisfaction is important, most people would surely answer yes. However, this does not standardize what satisfaction means to each individual.
In the research review conducted by Durkin, Gurbutt, and Carson (2018), questions are driven by patient responses, and then analyzed. The data is less adulterated, and in turn, more valuable. The diversity in patient responses also reinforces the complexity of nursing care. As even the most recurring answers provided eleven categories of compassion, the research is also representative of the need for individual-centered care.
In conclusion, the care aspect of nursing cannot be taught fully. The importance of caring can only be communicated. There is no single correct behavior that can satisfy patient expectations. Adaptation – based on sociological assessment – is necessary in each encounter to provide the best chances of a pleasant experience. Further, interactions must be genuine, and stem from the innate personal desire to care.
References
Durkin, M., Gurbutt, R., and Carson, J. (2018). Qualities, teaching, and measurement of compassion in nursing: A systematic review. Nurse Education Today, APR(63) 50-58, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.01.025.
Topaz, M., Lisby, M., Morrison, C. R., Levtzion-Korach, O., Hockey, P. M., Salzberg, C. A., . . . Rozenblum, R. (2016). Nurses Perspectives on Patient Satisfaction and Expectations: An International Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study With Implications for Evidence-Based Practice. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 13(3), 185-196. https://doi.org/ 10.1111/wvn.12143