Kontakt 2010, 12(1):34-38 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2010.004

Humanistic care according to the model by Margaret Jean WatsonNursing

Pavel Scholz, Valérie Tóthová^*

Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra ošetřovatelství

The contribution presented here deals with philosophic and theoretical aspects of the conceptual model by M. J. Watson and its possible application to the nursing practice. Any scientific discipline including its theory and theoretical models is based on certain philosophy and philosophic view. In the field of nursing, conceptual models form a bridge between philosophy, theory and practice. The use of the conceptual models in practice facilitates the communication between nurses and provides a systematic attitude to the nursing practice, education, administrative work and research. Changes in healthcare systems at economic and legislative levels impose new duties and tasks on nurses worldwide. Nurses become partners of clients as well as their families during their treatment. Nurses work with modern technology and plan and manage the nursing care, thus improving this care. In the performance of their profession, the nurses must find their way to saving their empathy focused on bio-psycho-social-spiritual needs of clients in spite of the pressure resulting from many duties. The use of the conceptual nursing model by M. J. Watson supports this empathy. The support of humanistic-altruistic values in our daily practice helps to elevate the nursing activity from the level of "mere work" to the level of "loving profession". The conceptual model is particularly based on humanism, holism, and last but not least, on phenomenology. The contribution summarizes main components of the model applied to a patient with type l diabetes. It furthermore points out possibilities of the use of the model in practice.

Keywords: conceptual model; nursing; M. J. Watson; humanism; phenomenology; holism

Published: March 31, 2010  Show citation