Response

The primary role of nurses is to take care of patients, and this is done through the provision of care that advocates for dignity, respect and empowerment. All patients need to be treated equally, with no discrimination or favor to some patients. Every life is equally important and thus, the treatment and caring plans to the patient must uphold dignity and respect. Respect is a two-way traffic; nurses need to show respect to the patients for them to respect the nurses. Through respect, nurses can create a conducive environment for the patients that fosters understanding, and make the patients feel cared and valued in the heath care, providing an opportunity for the patients to open up on their history which helps the nurses to come up with a better diagnosis and treatment option. This makes it possible to promote a holistic care that includes the opinions of the patients in regard to culture and personal beliefs leading to better patient health outcomes. All these are elements stipulated in Swanson’s caring theory which outlines the caring processes such as knowing, being with, doing for, enabling and maintaining belief, and which are essential in cultivating a meaningful healing relationship between nurses and patients (Nurse-Clarke, DiCicco-Bloom & Limbo, 2019).

References

Nurse-Clarke, N., DiCicco-Bloom, B., & Limbo, R. (2019). Application of caring theory to nursing Care of Women Experiencing Stillbirth. MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 44(1), 27-32.