Use of The Caring Theory has been shown to do the following
Improve patient satisfaction
Improve employee satisfaction
Increase Self reported positive outcomes
Improve patient satisfaction
- Patients who experienced caring during a hospitalization were more likely to report emotional-spiritual well being (Watson, 2006).
- Inova Health System's pilot implementation of caring theory on various units showed a significant increase in patient satisfaction scores (Drenkard, 2008).
- Watson believes that health professionals make social, moral, and scientific contributions to humankind and that nurses’ caring ideal can affect human development (McEwen & Wills, 2011).
- She believes it is important to sustain human caring ideals because there has been a proliferation of radical treatment and “cure techniques” often without regard to costs or human considerations (McEwen & Wills, 2011).
- She believes that it is critical to sustain human caring ideals and a caring ideology in practice (McEwen & Wills, 2011).
Improve employee satisfaction
- A study by Berry, Kaylor, Church, Campbell, McMillin & Wamsley (2013) found that nurses working in a caring environment were more satisfied with their job environment, and their positive feelings about their work environment lead to patients having an increased perception of care.
- After caring protocol implementation nurses reported (statistically significant) improved satisfaction with their work environment, workload, and relationship with coworkers compared to units that did not implement caring practices (Drenkard, 2008).
Increase Self reported positive outcomes
- Nurses practicing caring reported the following: a greater sense of fulfillment, gratitude, sense of accomplishment, purpose, love of nursing, and a greater respect for life and death (Watson, 2006).