Introduction
The role of nursing theories in guiding clinical practice, research, and education is pivotal for the ongoing development and improvement of patient care. One such influential theory, Kristen Swanson’s Theory of Caring, provides a comprehensive framework to understand and implement caring behaviors in nursing practice across various clinical settings. This paper explores Swanson’s Theory of Caring, examining its background, key concepts, relationships, and potential applications within a specific practice area.
Background
Theorist’s Background
Kristen Swanson is an influential nursing theorist known for her groundbreaking work on caring in nursing. Swanson developed her theory while working as a perinatal nurse and educator. It is where she identified the need for a comprehensive framework to guide nursing practice in providing care to patients and their families. Her experiences caring for childbearing women and their families prompted her to develop the Theory of Caring.
Phenomenon of Concern
The phenomenon of concern in Swanson’s Theory of Caring revolves around the concept of caring and its role in nursing practice. Caring is viewed as a critical element in the healing process, impacting both patient outcomes and overall satisfaction with healthcare experiences. The theory aims to delineate the essential components of caring and provide guidance for nurses to cultivate and foster caring relationships with their patients.
Theory Description
Swanson’s Theory of Caring is a middle-range theory that focuses on the fundamental aspects of caring in nursing. The theory is based on Swanson’s empirical research and synthesis of the literature on caring in nursing. This theory led her to identify five core caring processes (Swanson, 1993). These processes form the foundation of the theory and provide a structured approach to gaining insight into and applying compassionate actions within nursing care.
Concepts
The key concepts in Swanson’s Theory of Caring are the five caring processes:
- “Knowing: Striving to understand the patient’s experience and needs;
- Being with: Providing emotional support and presence to the patient;
- Doing for: Performing actions that assist the patient in meeting their needs;
- Enabling: Empowering the patient to achieve their goals and regain independence;
- Maintaining belief: Sustaining faith in the patient’s capacity to heal and cope” (Mårtensson et al., 2021, p. 1124).
Diagram
Relationships
In Swanson’s Theory of Caring, the relationships between the concepts are dynamic and interdependent. Each caring process supports and enhances the others, aiming to promote patient well-being and facilitate the healing process. The relationships among the caring processes are bidirectional, as the nurse’s actions in one process may influence their approach to other caring processes. All five main elements have smooth transitions in the structure.
Evaluation
Weaknesses
One potential weakness of this theory is its limited applicability. The limitation goes to the diverse patient populations and healthcare settings. Additionally, the theory’s focus on caring may only address some aspects of nursing practice, leaving gaps in technical skills, decision-making, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The theory’s primary focus on caring may lead to an incomplete representation of nursing practice. Consequently, this could limit the theory’s utility in guiding certain aspects of nursing practice.
Metaparadigms
Swanson’s Theory of Caring addresses the four meta-paradigms of nursing as follows:
- Patient: The individual receiving care with unique experiences, needs, and healing capacities;
- Environment: The context within which care is provided influences the nurse-patient relationship;
- Nursing: The profession that places emphasis on caring processes that facilitate healing and the provision of care;
- Health: The desired outcome of nursing care is attained by carrying out processes that involve caring (Mårtensson et al., 2021).
Application
Studies That Used the Theory
Two studies that employed Swanson’s Theory of Caring include an evaluation of a better lifestyle and parent-child interaction. In the first study, Ellina et al. (2022) used Swanson’s Theory of Caring to evaluate the quality of nursing work-life. The authors operationalized the concepts of the theory by examining the five caring processes in the context of nurses’ work-life quality. In the second research paper, Bai et al. (2018) utilize Swanson’s Theory of Caring to explore a scoring system called the Parent Caring Response Scoring System. The concepts of the theory are engaged by analyzing its psychometric properties in the context of childhood cancer-related port starts.
Area of Practice
Swanson’s Theory of Caring can be applied to various practice areas, such as mental health nursing. A potential research phenomenon in this area could be exploring the impact of caring behaviors on patient outcomes and satisfaction. Measuring the presence and frequency of the five caring processes in nurse-patient interactions and examining their relationships with patient-reported outcomes can be the case, such as symptom reduction, coping, and overall satisfaction with care.
Conclusion
Swanson’s Theory of Caring offers a valuable framework for understanding and implementing caring behaviors in nursing practice. The theory emphasizes caring as a fundamental aspect of nursing and guides how to build supportive and empathetic connections with patients. Although the theory may have some limitations in terms of applicability, its focus on the five caring processes offers a comprehensive approach to patient care. By integrating Swanson’s Theory of Caring into research and practice, nurses can enhance their capacity to support patients’ healing and well-being across diverse healthcare settings.
References
Bai, J., Swanson, K. M., Harper, F. W. K., Penner, L. A., & Santacroce, S. J. (2018). Parent caring response scoring system: development and psychometric evaluation in the context of childhood cancer-related port starts. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. Web.
Ellina, A. D., Nursalam, N., Yunitasari, E., & Adiutama, N. M. (2022). Evaluation of quality of nursing work-life: based on Swanson’s theory of caring. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 9(T5), 185–189. Web.
Mårtensson, S., Hodges, E. A., Knutsson, S., Hjelm, C., Broström, A., Swanson, K. M., & Björk, M. (2021). Caring behavior coding scheme based on Swanson’s theory of caring – development and testing among undergraduate nursing students. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 35(4), 1123–1133. Web.
Swanson, K. M. (1993). Nursing as informed caring for the well-being of others. Image–the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 25(4), 352–357. Web.