ST.

PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

UTILIZATION OF JEAN WATSONS HUMAN CARING THEORY

IN CARING FOR A CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE PATIENT

A case Study presented in Graduate School

College of Nursing
St. Paul University Dumaguete

In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

Methods of Research
Masters of Science in Nursing

JORE LAJOT ROCO, BSN-RN

November 2015

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

Introduction
The changes in the health care delivery systems around the world have
intensified nurses responsibilities and workloads. Nurses must now deal with patients
increased acuity and complexity in regard to their health care situation. Despite such
hardships, nurses must find ways to preserve their caring practice can be seen as
indispensable to this goal. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most prevalent type of
cardiovascular disease (Smeltzer, 2015). The term coronary artery disease (CAD)
describes heart disease caused by impaired coronary blood flow. In most cases, CAD is
caused by atherosclerosis, which affects not only the coronary arteries but arteries in
other areas of the body (Porth, 2014). It is a type of blood vessel disorder that is
included in the general category of atherosclerosis referred to as hardening of the
arteries. (Lewis, 2014). Each year, more than 1.6 million Americans have new or
recurrent myocardial infarctions; one third of those die within the first 24 hours, and
many of those who survive suffer significant morbidity (Porth, 2014). According to the
survey of the Philippine Heart Association (PHA), the disease claimed 170,000 Filipino
lives in 2009. In May 2014 Coronary Heart Disease Deaths in Philippines reached
87,881 or 16.86% of total deaths.
Being informed by Watsons caring theory allows us to return to our deep
professional roots and values in caring for patients, it represents the archetype of an
ideal nurse. Upholding these caring values in our daily practice helps transcend the
nurse from a state where nursing is perceived as just a job, to that of a gratifying
profession. Unfortunately, with the increasing number of nurses here in the Philippines
with a low employment rate, and to those who are employed who have an increased
workload; nurses tend to have neglected practicing the art of caring to clients making
the researcher interested in conducting a case study of a client with CAD utilizing the
theory of Jean Watson of Human Caring.

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

Theory
The Theory of Human Caring was developed between 1975 and 1979 that
emerged from Dr. Watsons own views of nursing, combined and informed by her
doctoral studies in educational-clinical and social psychology. The essence of Watsons
theory is authentic caring for the purpose of preserving the dignity and wholeness of
humanity. Dr. Watsons theory is a worldview by which nursing could know its traditions
in health and healing. Dr. Watson envisions nursing as a human science discipline as
well as academic-clinical profession with a societal mission to caring and healing work
with others during their most vulnerable moments in lifes journey. Caring, thus, is
independent of curing. According to Dr. Watson, knowledge and practice for a caringhealing discipline are primarily derived from the arts and humanities and an engineering
human science that acknowledges a convergence of art and science. It calls nursing to
retain a sense of the sacred in caring for the body physical as a human manifestation
of a soul interconnected and in harmony with the cosmos and universal
consciousness (George, 2008). During these past decades, nursing has increasingly
advanced as a distinct caring discipline and theory-guided practice profession. Care is
the center of nursing. As most health care systems around the world are undergoing
major administrative restructuring, we expose ourselves to the risk of dehumanizing
patient care. If we are to consider caring as the core of nursing, nurses will have to
make a conscious effort to preserve human caring within their clinical, administrative,
educational, and/or research practice. Caring must not be allowed to simply wither away
from our heritage.
Symptoms and complications of CAD depend upon according to the location and
degree of narrowing of the arterial lumen, thrombus formation, and obstruction of blood
ow to the myocardium that its impediment to blood ow is usually progressive, causing
an inadequate blood supply that deprives the muscle cells of oxygen needed for their
survival. Utilizing the theory of Jean Watson of Human caring allows the researcher to
3

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL
practice the art of caring, to provide compassion to ease patients and families suffering,
and to promote their healing and dignity but it can also contribute to expand the nurses
own actualization. In providing a holistic care for a client with CAD, the researcher has
also considered the cultural universalities and diversities. The transcultural theory of
Madeleine Leininger provides care measures that are in harmony with an individual or
groups cultural beliefs, practices, and values. The practice of transcultural nursing
addresses the cultural dynamics that influence the nurseclient relationship. Nurses
who understand and value the practice of culturally competent care are able to effect
positive changes in healthcare practices for clients of designated cultures. Sharing a
cultural identity requires knowledge of transcultural nursing concepts and principles.
Commitment to learning and practicing culturally competent care offers great
satisfaction and many other rewards to those who can provide holistic supportive care
to all patients.

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY DUMAGUETE

6200 Dumaguete City
Philippines
GRADUATE SCHOOL

Significance of the study

This study will benefit the following :
To the patient with CAD. This study will help the patient acquire knowledge
about his disease condition. This will also help the patient gain control over his disease
by having enough knowledge about it and in the understanding in the management of
the disease.
To the Significant others of the patient. This study will help the significant
others to understand more the disease and be able to relate with the patient. To be
equipped with enough knowledge of the disease will help them minimize the anxiety of
the significant others towards management of the disease and that they will be able to
participate in the management.
To the Registered Nurses. This study will help nurses learn more about Jean
Watsons Human Caring theory and how can it benefit to patients with coronary artery
disease.
To the Nursing Students. This study will help the student learn about Jean
Watsons Human Caring theory and how it can be beneficial to their scope of practice in
the future when they come to care for patients with CAD.
To the Future Researchers. This study will serve as a guide to future
researchers in using Jean Watsons Human Caring theory in the care of patients with
CAD. It will encourage researchers to look into other aspects and possibilities on the
use of Watsons theory.