Afaf Meleis’s theory view on caring in nursing
- A nurse can authentically be present in assisting the patient by creating a supportive environment for Mrs. Smith based on her expectations and understanding of her suffering. A nurse is expected to engage significant others in creating an effective interpersonal relationship with the patient by listening to her and the family members in order to facilitate a better nurse-client relationship. This forms one of the main requirements in the transitions theory where the consequences of the illness must be put into consideration. A nurse must also understand the patient’s transition experiences based on previous experiences and disease effects for a better interpersonal relationship that facilitates satisfaction by the patient (Davies, 2005).
- Afaf Meleis’s theory views caring in nursing as the relationships between a nurse and a patient as well as their family in order to understand the patient’s expectations. The understanding is based on the consequences of the illness that must be shared with the patient and their family for effective coping. The theory emphasizes the need for nurses to stay close to patients and their families to enhance caring (Davies, 2005).
- Afaf Meleis’s theory views a person as an individual in need of care and with capabilities to interact and shaped by their surrounding including significant others and reference groups. This theory has assumptions that human beings require support from those they interact with including family and friends for better outcomes during interventions. Individuals can learn new roles based on the environment provided to them (Bohner, 2017).
- The first concept of the theory is the interaction of a patient with others. This can be applied in the case by encouraging the patient’s family to stay close to the patient and share supportive ideas. The second concept is learning new roles which can be applied by teaching the patient how to cope with her illness to manage aggression. The third concept is caring which can be applied by supporting the patient with encouragement to stay happy and be hopeful (Bohner, 2017).