Caring Theory Essay

Caring theory is the description of the care healthcare professionals provide in caring practice with the aim of communicating caring as a phenomenon (Ranheim et al, 2011). Through the years caring theory has developed in healthcare. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the term caring. In order to understand the term better, caring can be divided into several concepts. This essay will focus on the concepts of caring for, caring about, caring theory and caring science. These concepts will be explained throughout the essay.
The first two concepts are caring for and caring about. Caring for involves the actions one takes each day that look after a person’s needs at a particular moment in time. For example, a teacher caring for a student by asking them how they feel. A student may care for her academic wellbeing by asking the teacher to help her after school. These caring for interactions are specific to individual situations and are confidential. Caring about indicates an action that supports a more general concept or idea. It can sometimes be linked to social positions of power. Caring about has effects that are greater than a personal relationship (McKamey, 2011).
Nursing care is now not only about caring for the specific health problem of the
Caring science helps one to develop a greater understanding of the situation of the patient and as a result optimal care can be provided. This concept focuses on a person’s health and improving their well-being. It is the basis of caring practice. Caring science is the combination of caring and education in order to provide the best care for a patient. It focuses on the patient’s world and their perspective plays an important role in the application of the knowledge developed by caring science. Caring science is the concept of knowing the patient as a human being and not just their health problem (Horberg et al,