10 Carative Factors By Jean Watson
In the words of Watson’s theory, “Nursing is concerned with
promoting health, preventing illness, caring for the sick, and restoring
health.” Its main purpose is the health
promotion, along with the treatment of diseases. In the view of
Watson, caring is central to nursing practice and promotes health better
than a simple medical cure.(McEwen and Wills, 2017)
A nurse is the practitioner and demonstrator according to nursing
model. All of it based on caring for patients promotes growth; a caring
environment accepts a person as they are and looks to what they may become.
Major Concepts
There are four main concepts about Philosophy and Science of
caring: human being, health, environment or society, and nursing.
Society
Society acts as a source of values that determine how one should
behave and what goals one should strive toward. Watson states:
“Caring (and nursing) has existed in every society. Every society
has had some people who have cared for others. A caring attitude is not
transmitted from generation to generation by genes. The culture of the
profession transmits it as a unique way of coping with its environment.”
Human being
Human being is a valued person to be cared for, respected,
nurtured, understood, and assisted; in general, a philosophical view of a
person as a fully functional integrated self. The human is considered as
greater than and different from the sum of his or her parts. It is not only a
physical object but also having feelings and emotions.
Health
The health defined as a unity and harmony within the mind, body, and soul. It is associated with the degree of synchronization between the self and the self as experienced.
It is defined as a high level of overall physical,
mental, and social functioning. It also requires general adaptive-maintenance
level of daily functioning; and the absence of illness, or the presence of
efforts leading to the absence of illness.
Nursing
Nursing is a human science of persons and human health-illness
experiences mediated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic, and
ethical human care transactions.(McEwen and Wills, 2017)
Strengths
In different views there is a difficult or easy view about Watson’s
theory. This model leads and guide to improve practice as it can equip
healthcare providers with the most satisfying aspects of practice and provide
the patient with holistic care.
In her theory she using nontechnical, sophisticated, fluid, and
evolutionary language to artfully describe her concepts, such as caring-love,
curative factors, and Caritas. Meanwhile paradoxically, abstract and simple
concepts like caring-love are difficult to practice, yet practicing and
experiencing those leads to greater understanding.
Watson’s theory is best understood as a moral and philosophical
basis for nursing practices. The scope of the framework encompasses broad
aspects of health-illness phenomena. Also, the theory addresses aspects of
health promotion, preventing illness, and experiencing peaceful death, thereby
increasing its generality.
This theory is also positive in many aspects. It is logical in that
the carative factors are based on broad assumptions that provide a supportive
framework. In general carative factors are logically derived from the
assumptions and related to the hierarchy of needs. The carative factors provide
guidelines for nurse-patient interactions, an important aspect of patient care.
Weaknesses of theory
The theory is deficient in furnish explicit direction about what to do to achieve authentic caring-healing relationships. The nurses who want concrete guidelines may not feel secure when trying to use this theory alone.
Some have suggested that it takes too much time to incorporate the Caritas into
practice, and some note that Watson’s personal growth emphasis is a quality
“that while appealing to some may not appeal to others.”
Conclusion
Watson began is the one of the pioneer developing her theory while
she was assistant dean of the undergraduate program at the University of
Colorado, and it evolved into planning and implementing its nursing Ph.D.
program.
The Philosophy and Science of Caring addresses how nurses express
care to their patients in a holistic manner. Nursing care is central to nursing
practice and promotes health better than a simple medical cure. She believes
that a holistic approach to health care is central to the practice of caring in
nursing.
This concept results in the form of the 10 carative factors:
(1) forming humanistic-altruistic value systems, (2) instilling faith-hope, (3) cultivating a sensitivity to self and others, (4) developing a helping-trust relationship, (5) promoting an expression of feelings, (6) using problem-solving for decision-making, (7) promoting teaching-learning, (8) promoting a supportive environment, (9) assisting with the gratification of human needs, and (10) allowing for existential-phenomenological forces.
The first three factors form the “philosophical foundation” for the science of caring, and the remaining seven come from that foundation.
Watson prove her theory on descriptive way, she acknowledges the theory’s evolving nature and welcomes input from others. The theory does not lend itself easily to research conducted through traditional scientific methods, recent qualitative nursing approaches are appropriate.
This theory contributes to provide a useful and important metaphysical orientation for the delivery of nursing system. Watson’s theoretical concepts, such as the use of self, patient-identified needs, the caring process, and the spiritual sense of being human, may help nurses and their patients to find meaning and harmony during a period of increasing complexity.
Watson’s rich and varied knowledge of philosophy, the arts, the
human sciences, and traditional science and traditions, joined with her
prolific ability to communicate, has enabled professionals in many disciplines to
share and recognize her work.
References:
LAB, N. 13fab2021. Jean Watson: Theory of Human
Caring.
MCEWEN, M. & WILLS, E. M. 2017. Theoretical basis for nursing,
Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
WATSON, J. 1999. Postmodern nursing and beyond.
WATSON, J. 2006. Carative factors–Caritas processes guide to professional nursing. Klinisk Sygepleje, 20, 21-27.
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