How and why is the article pertinent for nursing today?
Nursing is a unique practice because it determines the wellbeing of patients. The article “Values Clarification in Nursing: Application to Practice” by Diane Uustal explores some critical ideas that are still pertinent for nursing today. The article explains why nurses should be knowledgeable and oriented to their goals. According to Uustal (1978), nurses should embrace the best values in order to analyze data, make decisions, take affirmative action, and provide the best patient care. The ideas in the article are timeless because they explain why nurses should have a sense of professional autonomy. It is necessary for nurses to be disciplined and professional. The article presents relevant ideas towards “values clarification”. The strategy helps nurses establish where they stand and identify whatever they value the most (Uustal, 1978). According to the values clarification theory, nurses can easily outline their values, beliefs, concepts, and attitudes thus finding it easier to provide the best healthcare to their patients (Uustal, 1978). The article also explains why nurses should use values to discover themselves in order to promote “patient teaching”. This article is relevant because it explains why professionals should influence patients’ behaviors and knowledge. The idea will help them achieve or maintain their sense of wellbeing. Although this article might be outdated, it presents useful ideas for nursing professionals today.
Why do nurses need this kind of article?
This article by Uustal explains why nurses need this kind of article. The article encourages nurses to re-invent themselves through values clarification (Uustal, 1978). Nurses can use these values to formulate the best nursing philosophy. This philosophy will help the caregiver treat nursing as a “calling” and not a career. The individual will provide the best care and guidance to his or her patients. Nurses need these ideas because they can use the provided guidelines to choose the best values and make them part of their behaviors. Nurses can benefit from this article because it encourages them to promote the idea of patient behavior. In the past, nurses have not presented new ideas to change patients’ thoughts and behaviors (Uustal, 1978). The article explains how nurses can examine the values held by their patients. The approach will help nurses provide evidence-based care to their patients. According to the article, nurses should be aware of their patients’ values in order to integrate them in their nursing practice. Every nurse today should use this article to clarify his or her values and use them to develop a good nursing philosophy. The strategy helps nurses create the best “value systems” and form nursing groups. This will create the best caring-helping relationships with their patients.
Five facts still existing today
Although the author wrote the article over three decades ago, there are some facts that still exist today. The first fact is how “values clarification” helps nurses understand what they value or where they stand. The second fact is that values are always under development. A nurse should reexamine his or her values in order to provide the best care. The third fact is that nurses and professionals have done very little to promote “patient teaching” (Uustal, 1978). The fifth fact is that effective nursing practice can only be established using personal value systems and self-images. Finally, the main idea behind nursing is to enhance the best “helping-caring” relationship.
Reference List
Uustal, D. (1978). Clarification in Nursing: Application to Practice. The American Journal of Nursing, 78(12), 2058-2063.