Analyzing King's View Of Nursing

King viewed nursing as a process that involved caring for human beings with the ultimate goal being health (Williams, 2001). A disruption in the patient’s holistic and functional state can lead to illness. King defined nursing as a dynamic and continuous interaction between the nurse and patient through the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the purpose to set common goals which can be achieved through agreement (Husband, 1988). King developed a conceptual framework focusing on three systems: personal, interpersonal and social. “King’s view of nursing is contextual as well as systematic since the nursing assessment of individuals includes information about their small group interactions and social structures” (Alligood, 2010, p. 99). Through King’s conceptual framework, the goal attainment theory developed. Williams (2001) states King saw human beings as open systems constantly interacting with the environment. Nurses

The interpersonal system involves interaction, communication, transaction, role and stress (Alligood, 2010). This part of the system is important because it involves strong communication. A nurse stresses their role in a patient’s plan of care. Without a good foundation of communication, the nurse and patient won’t be able to work together to develop an effective health care plan. Communication is important to facilitate trust between a patient and health care team (Khowaja, 2006). Without effective communication, the nurse-patient relationship will not exist. The only way to gain a trusting relationship is through constant communication between nurse and patient. Communication can be verbal or non-verbal. Verbal communication is spoken and written while non-verbal communication involves gestures, facial expressions, appearance, posture and touch (Williams, 2001). Collaboration between a nurse and patient is important for goal