The Moral Construct of Caring in Nursing as Communicative Action

Caring in Nursing is complex, multi-faceted, and not easily explicated in the whole of its component parts. This theory describes the bi-directional communication that occurs between nurse and patient. The nurse consists of personal and professional selves, and the patient personal and illness selves. The nurse professional self consists of theory, practice, and experiential knowledge. The patient illness self includes physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. The interaction is based on innate human vulnerability and need of considerateness. The moral component is predicated on the vulnerability of both. Examples and stories are provided to make clear difficult concepts. This book is targeted to all registered nurses anywhere in the world. It is useful for nursing faculty teaching at both graduate and undergraduate levels. It is of particular interest to those who study Caring in Nursing. This theory is workable in clinical practice.