Studies have suggested that empathetic nursing may positively affect the quality of nursing care, contributing to more positive outcomes in regards to the health and well-being of patients, in various degrees of ill health. Hojat (2007); Mercer & Reynolds, 2002, Raudonis, 1993). In contrast, Slaby (2014) believes that empathy has a ‘blind spot’ of imposing only the personal perspectives and life experiences of that nurse onto the patient, this therefore may lead to assumptions which could prove demeaning and incorrect. Raudonis (1993) research contradicts Slabys viewpoint, and notes in his qualitative study of 14 terminally-ill patients (in a hospice environment), that empathetic care resulted in better pain management, higher morale, and improved quality of life as well as an impression of being better acknowledged, accepted and cared for. This disproves Slaby’s (2014) point of view as Slaby implied that empathy was presumptuously driven, individualistic and selfish, and so discounted empathy as being driven by genuine concern for the patient. Slaby’s (2014) viewpoint is further disproved by Shaw, Haxell and Weblemoe (2012) who state that while the value of empathy is individually perceived, the perception of treatment as an individual rarely alters (Shaw, Haxell, & Weblemoe, 2012). Raudonis’s qualitative approach, while valid, has some weaknesses. For example it is somewhat outdated, but was utilised due to there being a limited number of qualitative studies on this topic. A possible limitation in the study, however, is that the patients assessed were receiving hospice care, which often provides a more personal approach than in a hospital ward (Lunt & Neale, 1987). The participants of the study, were mostly female cancer patient...
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The preface focuses on the type of care Hospice provides for the patient and family, while the section entitled "Hospice is..." provides a detailed definition of hospice.Chapter One demonstrates the sensitivity a hospice nurse must use when dealing with new patients and how the nurse must remain unbiased at all times. Chapter Two reviews the family emotional strains and stresses which can be experienced when a loved one is dying within the home and how different people deal with the change. In Chapter Three we can develop a deeper understanding of an individual's strength and acceptance through the story of Karen, a seven year old who is dying from cancer. The different coping mechanisms expressed by Karen's parents are very contrast dramatically as the needs of survivors vary.Chapter Four highlights patients' need for control and decision making over his or her own life. In Chapter Five, Henrietta, the patient had very little control over her treatment and pain because her husband refused to accept her dying, until Janice (hospice nurse) promised her dignity during death. In Chapter Six, William tries a new method of pain control and his spirits are lifted as he once again has some control in his life as expressed in his statement, "I can't believe the power I have"(1, p.194).
But how does one achieve this mindset? Carper (1948) answers this as well; empathy. Nurses use empathy to act not as an audience but as a possible contributor. As said earlier, empathy allows for better perception skills. As a result, with good perception skills comes access to more specific information that forms what Copper (2001) calls ‘particular knowledge’ or subjective knowledge obtained by a nurse about an individual client (p. 6). It is knowledge nurse can have access to if they have enough respect for their
84). Seven assumptions are the foundation for the Theory of Transpersonal Caring. The first assumption states that the nurse has the moral commitment to protect and enhance the human dignity of the patient. Second, caring is respecting the subjective and spiritual needs of the patient during times of despair, honoring “an I-Thou Relationship rather than an I-It Relationship”(Alligood, 2014, p. 84). For example, honoring his or her needs, routines, or rituals. The theory’s third assumption states that effective caring is accomplished by establishing human connection. The nurse must seek to connect with the inner spirit of another by being present in the moment. The fourth assumption discusses the importance of honoring the wholeness of the person. Watson’s fifth assumption is about finding one’s inner harmony. “The nurse helps another through this process to access the healer within” (Alligood, 2014, p. 85). Assumption six focuses on the practice of caring. Continued growth in physical and mental well-being are essential to advance nursing practice. The nurse’s personal history and knowledge gained from worldly experiences shapes the way he/she may practice. Lastly, the seventh assumption states that the practice of caring is ongoing, and a central part to both nursing and Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring (Alligood,
Betcher, D. K. (2010). Elephant in the Room Project: Improving Caring Efficacy through Effective and Compassionate Communication with Palliative Care Patients. Medsurg Nursing, 19(2), 101-105.
A great deal of emotions occur in the postpartum period, emotions that you could never understand unless you have been there. Before I attended a conference on depression in pregnancy & postpartum the thought of fathers suffering from postnatal depression never even entered my mind. As far as I was concerned, It was only associated it with giving birth. The knowledge I gained has not only changed my outlook on the subject but the way that I interact with and educate my patients. My focus is no longer just on the dyad of mom and baby it’s on mom, dad and baby if there is a partner involved at all. The purpose of this essay is to explore a particular concept related to professional caring in nursing. It will discuss the patient/client situation, exploration of the concept, how the concept relates to personal caring through noticing, interpreting, responding and reflection. The concept that will be explored in this paper is empathy.
Looking back on my childhood, I noticed a pattern in the careers I was interested in. At one point, I wanted to be a dentist, a veterinarian, then a forensic investigator and even a medical doctor. It was not until I worked for a year in the ER as a PCA after I graduated from my undergraduate studies that I knew for certain that nursing is where my passion lies. My father’s passing when I was sixteen years old from a heart attack was the motivating factor to go into a profession that is dedicated to the service of others. I was a hospice volunteer for four years during my undergraduate years and thoroughly enjoyed giving support and comfort to patients who were passing and their families. I then became a PCA because I wanted to gain valuable
Caregivers may often experience decreases in immune system functioning, as well as increases in blood pressure (Haley, 2003; Weitzner, Haley, & Chen, 2000). With patients in advanced stages of cancer, patients are more likely to exhibit signs of distress because of the ways in which advanced patients require increased care and support (McMillan, 2005). Overall, caregiving affects the physical health of caregivers because the consistency of providing self care to a family member can exhaust and strain the caregiver (Roberto & Jarrott, 2008; Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). Many predictors of the wellness of a caregiver depend upon the problems with the patients behavior, cognitive deterioration, and any disabilities the patient may have. The amount of time that a caregiver spends providing assistance, and the demands of watching the patient to make sure they are safe can also contribute to the overall wellness of the caregiver (Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). Although many have studied the ways in which caregiving can create stress for the caregiver, there have also been reported positive effects of this role that are worth
Empathy, like many other low-spirited emotions, tends to be the legal guide in aiding the poor in the United States and even third world countries. Philosophers Peter Singer and Paul Bloom both believe that empathy plays a limited role in recognizing the moral or better thing to do. In numerous circumstances, it becomes imperative to supersede emotional empathy with simple reason.
When one is proceeding through the journey of life and crossing the bridge of development, it is often noted that personality has a major influence on personal health. Sometimes, while searching for the perfect spouse or ideal home, one might get wrapped up in the adventure that life throws at them, and they do not realize the extent to which their personality, throughout their everyday lives, affects their health. This, therefore, creates an ideal space for scientists and psychologists across the world to study the impact of the various factors of personality on health. Some of the major factors that are commonly studied within Personality Psychology are the Big-Five
The Dalai Lama defines compassion as having much empathy for others’ till we can start to share each others’ own suffering. Empathy should be presented towards all beings including our enemies; that is the most effortless and purest form of compassion. The Dalai Lama would argue that when it comes to the use of compassion in our professional life is somewhat crucial or else “our activities are in danger of becoming destructive.” (Dalai Lama, pg. 64). This meaning that we wouldn’t consider the things we do or the decisions we make and how that might affect others’. The ideal of compassion can be applied to the professional life in many ways, such as leadership, relationships, job fulfillment and performance.
Having a career with a purpose that one loves is vital to the wellbeing of an individual. Everyone has a calling for a job whether they realize it or not. In one’s job, one will have specific philosophies about how they deemed their job should be done and how they should approach it. I personally found my calling to nursing when I was young. However, it wasn’t until nursing school when I figured out how I was going to approach nursing in my own way. There are a variety of nursing theorists who have come up with their own views of how one should approach the nursing practice. Though no one way is right or wrong, it is essential as a nurse to grab from the different theorists to see what fits best for your own personal philosophy.
The Theory of Caregiver Stress was a significant breakthrough for the reasoning of why caregivers are so deeply affected by this job. “The Theory of Caregiver Stress was derived from the Roy Adaptation Model to use as basis in understanding the relationships among caregivers and the stress faced when caring for a chronically ill relative” (Tsai, 2003). The Theory of Caregiver stress is a middle-range theory used to predict the outcome for stress and other various side effects (Dobratz, 2011). These adverse effects are predicted by: Demographic Characteristics, Burden in Caregiving, Stressful life events, Social Support and Social Roles. Also, because of the multitude of different scenarios and background for both the patient and the caregiver, these categories are necessary to compare and effectively use the results. The theory makes four main assumptions regarding adaption: “environmental change; the caregivers’ perceptions will determine how they will respond to the environmental stimuli; the caregivers’ adaptation is a function of their environmental stimuli and adaptation level, and lastly the caregivers’ effectors are results of chronic caregiving such examples include marital satisfaction and self-...
Recently, inhabitants of many societies and communities are demonstrating a unwillingness to care about their neighbors, and with this comes changes in those societies.
Empathy is the ‘capacity’ to share and understand another person’s ‘state of mind’ or their emotion. It is an experience of the outlook on emotions of another person being within themselves (Ioannides & Konstantikaki, 2008). There are two different types of empathy: affective empathy and cognitive empathy. Affective empathy is the capacity in which a person can respond to another person’s emotional state using the right type of emotion. On the other hand, cognitive empathy is a person’s capacity to understand what someone else is feeling. (Rogers, Dziobek, Hassenstab, Wolf & Convit, 2006). This essay will look at explaining how biology and individual differences help us to understand empathy as a complex, multi-dimensional trait.
Empathy is the ability to imagine yourself in someone else’s position and to intuit what that person is feeling (Pink, 2006). Rather than simply sympathizing, empathy enables us to put ourselves into the shoes of another and actually feel what they are feeling. This vicarious sense allows us to better understand people and their experiences. Understanding others and their experiences is vital in education. Whether dealing with different races, religions, sexes, etc., empathy provides us with an avenue to widespread understanding of others that even language cannot.