Remote Nursing Theory
Remote Nursing and Jean Watson's Theory of Caring
Despite the identification of a clear role and responsibility for nurses in the area of remote and rural medical care, providing primary medical assistance to individuals and communities in geographically isolated areas, there have been significant barriers demonstrated to the effective networking and planning of nursing efforts, resources, and personnel in this area (Coyle et al. 2010). Though this problem is largely one that is practical in nature and requires a fix found in policy and infrastructure, the problem can ultimately be seen as one that is rooted in theory and philosophy. Simply put, nurses attempting to provide care to remote individuals and communities are not equipped with the proper tools, training, or resources to provide effective care, and this has also affected the focus of nursing in this arena such that results of nursing attempts in this area are not as favorable as would be desired.
An application of Jean Watson's Theory of Caring in Nursing could definitely help to provide a renewed focus on those aspects of rural and remote care that are most essential to patient needs, and that will lead to a greater level of satisfaction and involvement by nurses. Essentially, this theory of nursing insists that the carative rather than the curative aspects of nursing practice and patient outcomes be focused on, which also automatically means treating the whole patient and improving their quality of life rather than simply trying to address specific symptoms and/or diseases (Watson 199; Rafael 2000). Caring for the patient rather than trying to cure the patient leads to a very different perspective in nursing, and this perspective can be applied to whole communities as well as to individuals.
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