ST.

PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

UTILIZATION OF JEAN WATSONS HUMAN CARING THEORY

IN CARING FOR A CLIENT WITH HEART FAILURE

JORE LAJOT ROCO, BSN-RN

January 2016

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

Introduction

Heart Failure is often referred to as congestive heart failure (CHF), it is the

inability of the heart to pump sufcient blood to meet the needs of the tissues for oxygen
and nutrients that incidence usually increases with age. Nearly 5 million people in the
United States have HF, with more than one-half million new cases diagnosed each year
(American Heart Association, 2001). The prevalence rate of HF among non-Hispanic
whites 20 years of age or older is 2.3% for men and 1.5% for women; for non-Hispanic
blacks, the rates are 3.5% and 3.1%, respectively (American Heart Association, 2001).
HF is the most common reason for hospitalization of people older than age 65 and the
second most common reason for visits to a physicians ofce (Smeltzer, 2014). Heart
failure has been classified according to the side of the heart (right ventricular or left
ventricular) that is primarily affected. Right sided heart failure results congestion of the
peripheral tissues, liver and gastrointestinal (GI) while left sided heart failure results to
decreased cardiac output, pulmonary congestion, impaired gas exchange and
pulmonary edema (Porth, 2014) that in one way or another may be prevented or any
other complications with the use of the independent nursing interventions while utilizing
Jean Watsons theory of Human Caring. Being informed by Watsons caring theory
allows nurses to return to their deep professional roots and values in caring for patients,
it represents the archetype of an ideal nurse. Upholding these caring values in the daily
practices of nurses helps transcend the nurse from a state where nursing is perceived
as just a job, to that of a gratifying profession. Unfortunately, with the increasing
number of nurses here in the Philippines with a low employment rate, and to those who
are employed who have an increased workload; nurses tend to have neglected
practicing the art of caring to clients making the researcher interested in conducting a
case study of a client with Heart Failure utilizing the theory of Jean Watson of Human
Caring.
2

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Theoretical Background
The Theory of Human Caring was developed between 1975 and 1979 that
emerged from Dr. Watsons own views of nursing, combined and informed by her
doctoral studies in educational-clinical and social psychology.The essence of Watsons
theory is authentic caring for the purpose of preserving the dignity and wholeness of
humanity. Dr. Watsons theory is a worldview by which nursing could know its traditions
in health and healing. Dr. Watson envisions nursing as a human science discipline as
well as academic-clinical profession with a societal mission to caring and healing work
with others during their most vulnerable moments in lifes journey. Caring, thus, is
independent of curing. According to Dr. Watson, knowledge and practice for a caringhealing discipline are primarily derived from the arts and humanities and an engineering
human science thatacknowledges a convergence of art and science. It calls nursing to
retain a sense of the sacred in caring for the body physical as a human manifestation
of a soul interconnected and in harmony with the cosmos and universal
consciousness (George, 2008). During these past decades, nursing has increasingly
advanced as a distinct caring discipline and theory-guided practice profession. Care is
the center of nursing. As most health care systems around the world are undergoing
major administrative restructuring, we expose ourselves to the risk of dehumanizing
patient care. If we are to consider caring as the core of nursing, nurses will have to
make a conscious effort to preserve human caring within their clinical, administrative,
educational, and/or research practice. Caring must not be allowed to simply wither away
from our heritage. Symptoms and complications of Heart Failure depend upon its
classification that may either lead to dependent edema, ascites, anorexia, GI distress
and weight loss (Right Heart Failure) or activity intolerance, signs of decreased tissue
perfusion, cyanosis, signs of hypoxia, cough with frothy sputum, orthopnea and
paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (Left Heart Failure). Utilizing the theory of Jean Watson
of Human caring allows the researcher to practice the art of caring, to provide
compassion to ease patients and families suffering, and to promote their healing and
dignity but it can also contribute to expand the nurses own actualization.
3

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL