Nursing administration quarterly
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The delivery of patient-centered care is basic to a large midwestern healthcare institution's mission and highly valued by the department of nursing. Even so, nurses on one medical unit questioned whether caring behaviors were devalued in a technology-oriented environment of providing care. The nursing leadership on the unit responded to the inquiry by conducting a research study. This study explored the state of patient-centered nursing care on a medical unit as perceived by the nursing staff and patients, using Watson's Theory of Human Caring as a framework. ⋯ Both nurses and patients perceived a high level of caring on the unit. The overall theme from the focus group was that "caring begets caring," with 2 subthemes: "relationships of care" and "the context of caring." Caring for each other was identified as essential to keep staff energized and able to work lovingly with patients. Nursing leadership brought the research findings to all staff on the unit for discussion and implementation of structural support for the unit culture of caring.
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The hospital workforce environment has been recognized as an important factor for nurse retention and patient safety, yet there is ongoing evidence that inadequate communication, intraprofessional oppression, and lack of collaboration and conflict resolution continue to disempower nurses and hinder improvement of workforce conditions. ⋯ The comprehensive approach to incorporating mentor-mentee teams changes the way fellow nurses and others perceive nurses, augments support by managers and coworkers, and improves patient care outcomes.