Unit III:

Art and Science of Caring

(3 hours)

Introduction

Caring behaviors are evident in many other professions that require

interaction- whether it is between humans or even with animals. Law
enforcement agents are often commended for their honesty and respect.
Psychologists are comforting and require attentive listening skills to help their
patients. Teachers must possess patience, attentive listening, sensitivity, and
great responsibility to mold our children into productive adults. Veterinarians
care for beloved household pets, zoo animals, etc. They work with animals
young and old to treat and bring comfort for many similar issues faced by
human patients. The effect that acts of caring have on the subject are far and
wide. Immediate affects would include the physical and psychological reaction
to medical treatments, therapy, etc. Long-term effects are more personalized;
depend largely on the outcomes of said interactions, and can bear positive
changes for years to come. In a concept analysis of caring that looked at
literature from sociology, psychology, pastoral care, medicine, and nursing,
attributes of care/caring include "communality, interpersonal and interactional
relationship, a response to need, tailored giving and assistance, reciprocity,
control, selectivity, responsibility and concern, boundaries, the nature of care,
impressions and interpretations, individuality, and surveillance". Caring
classroom practices are associated with increases in students' motivational
beliefs. Parents who use reasoning to encourage caring, model caring, and
reinforce caring behavior are purported to have children who are more likely
to engage in prosocial behavior [15]. Caring is evident in all walks of life, it is
important for people to give and receive, as well as and in no way limited to
the public health practice.

In this unit, you will learn the art and science of caring, five processes of
caring, concepts of profession, personal qualifications of a public health
worker, how to develop one’s personality, components of good personality.

Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, students will be able to:

 Discuss the Art and Science of Caring

 Apply the Concepts on Health Profession
 Appreciate the 8 BE-ATTITUDES of a Public Health Worker
 Activating Prior Learning

In order to understand the concepts of caring in like manner, we are going to

take a look the science and art of health care for the welfare, and wellbeing of
all individuals.
Caring is as much of an art as it is a science. As health care provider cannot
have one without the other, embodying both in tandem. When applied
together, the art and science of caring is a force to be thought with in
healthcare. It's what makes health care provider so effective, and it's what
makes all the difference to the patients in their care.

Your task is to fill in the K-W-L chart below by jotting down what you have known
and what are the things that you would like to know about the concepts of caring
through a challenging role of every health worker on health promotion, preventions of
disease, curative cares, rehabilitations or long term care.
What I already Know What I Want to know What I have Learned

Presentation of Contents

TOPIC 1. Concept of Caring

How best to define caring for others?

Caring beliefs may vary but the meanings have common threads. "When
caring, there should be an established relationship of trust, knowledge of care
delivery process, commitment, and willingness to care.

Caring requires personal, social, moral, and spiritual engagement and a

commitment to one's self and other human beings. To truly care is to be
compassionate, otherwise, we are merely performing actions in a disengaged
state. Caring may occur without curing but curing cannot occur without
caring"(Watson)

Caring as the work or practice of looking after, as well as displaying,

kindness and concern for those who are unable to care for themselves,
especially on account of age or illness (Oxford)
Caring is a science that encompasses a humanitarian, human science
orientation, human caring processes, phenomena, and experiences"(Jean
Watson).
Caring is attentive listening, comforting, honesty, patience, responsibility,
providing information so the patient can make an informed decision, touch,
sensitivity, respect, calling the patient by name

Caring is kind, helpful, and sympathetic toward other people (Thesaurus).

Caring has been depicted as "a transpersonal process" and "a nurturing way of
relating to a valued other toward whom one feels a personal sense of
commitment and responsibility.

Caring- is essential in human need, necessary for health and survival of all
individuals.

In a review of works published on caring through the mid-1990s, noted five

characteristics of caring most often described in the literature:

1. It is a human trait.
2. It is a moral imperative.
3. It is an affect.
4. It is an interpersonal interaction; and
5. It is a therapeutic intervention.
.
The structure for the science of caring is built upon (10) ten curative
factors. 

1. Embrace: Altruistic Values and Practice Loving Kindness with Self and
Others
2. Inspire: Faith and Hope and Honor Others
3. Trust: Self and Others by Nurturing Individual Beliefs, Personal Growth
and
Practices
4. Nurture: Helping, Trusting, Caring Relationships
5. Forgive: and Accept Positive and Negative Feelings – Authentically Listen
to Another’s Story
6. Deepen: Scientific Problem Solving Methods for Caring Decision Making
7. Balance: Teaching and Learning to Address the Individual Needs,
Readiness
and Learning Styles
8. Co-Create: A Healing Environment for the Physical and Spiritual Self
which
Respects Human Dignity
9. Minister: To Basic Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Human Needs
10. Open: to Mystery and Allow Miracles to Enter

Acts of Caring refer to direct and indirect nurturing and skillful activities,
processes, and decisions that assists the people in ways that are emphatic,
compassionate, and supportive that are dependent on the needs, problems and
values of the individual being assisted.
Five Processes of Caring:

1. Knowing is striving to understand an event as it has meaning in the life of

other.
2. Being with is being emotionally present to other.
3. Doing for is doing for the other as he /she would do for the self, if it were
at
all possible.
4. Enabling is facilitating the other’s passage through life transitions and
unfamiliar events (e.g. birth, death)
5. Maintaining belief is sustaining faith in the others capacity to get through
an event or transitions and face a future with meaning (Swanson)

Caring involves:

1. Providing presence is when a health worker establishes reassuring

presence,
eye contact, body language, voice tone, listening and having positive and
encouraging attitude, act together to create openness and understanding.
2. Comforting involves the use of touch and the skillful and gentle
performance of basic health care procedures.
3. Listening involves paying attention to an individual’s words and tone of
voice, and entering into his/her frame of reference.
4. Knowing the Client is at the core of the process by which health workers
Make clinical decisions. To know the client means the health worker
considers the client as a unique individual.
5. Spiritual Caring offers a sense of interconnectedness, intra-personal
(with oneself), interpersonal (with others/environment) and trans personally
(with the unseen God a high power)
6. Family Care involves knowing of the family as thoroughly as one knows
the
client. A health worker demonstrates caring by helping family members
become active participants in the client care.

According to Sister Simone Roach’s 5 C’s of Caring

1. Commitment. The act of committing yourself to work means going above

and beyond normally expected behaviors and pledging to uphold strong
values. In addition to providing a focus for daily activities, commitment to
your career also involves continually improving one’s knowledge and skills.
One way to do this is by seeking out higher education.

2. Conscience. Delivering the best possible care to patients involves a resilient

sense of moral responsibility born of a strong conscience. Conscience helps
guide your actions even when focus on stress or personal matters can
challenge the consistent application of best practices. Adherence to your own
conscience will always help to put you on the right course.
3. Competence. Consistently arriving to work on time and presenting yourself
in a professional manner is one way. Another is to hold yourself to a high
standard of excellence when fulfilling daily tasks, regardless of the behavior of
others or the circumstances. It is also important to ask for help or clarification
when there is uncertainty about a specific duty or method, rather than
attempting to move forward if you are unsure.

4. Compassion. Having compassion is essential for anyone in the health care

profession as it takes compassion to give patients a positive experience,
empathize with their patients and provide kind and considerate treatment at all
times. In return, they may receive an inspiring sense of human connection and
affirmation of the importance of their work. The more nurture their sense of
compassion, the more compassion grows (and the greater positive effect it has
on patient care and work relationships).

5. Confidence. It is the aspect of caring that ties the other 4 of the 5 C’s
together. It takes confidence in personal skills and knowledge to act with
commitment, follow conscience, consistently act in a competent manner, and
express compassion, even in the most difficult of situations. Confidence in
experiences, education, and skills will ensure that Public health practitioner
continually put their best foot forward. A confident Public health practitioner
can help patients and family members deal with difficult news, and a strong
sense of self will invoke positive change in patient care.

Check on this video on the difference between Care and Caring:

TOPIC 2. Concept of Profession

• A profession is an organization of an occupational group based on the

application of special knowledge which establishes its own rules and standards
for the protection of the public and the professionals.
• A profession implies that the quality of work done by its members is of
greater importance in its own eyes and the society than the economic rewards
they earn.
• A profession serves all society, not the specific interest of a group people.
• The aims of profession are altruistic rather than materialistic.

The Characteristics and Attributes of a Professional Person are as

follows:

1. Is concerned with quality. He /she possesses competence to practice the

Professions in terms of scientific knowledge, technological skills and
desirable attitudes and values.
2. Is self-directed, responsible and accountable for his/her actions.
3. Is able to make independent and sound judgement including high moral
judgement.
4. Is dedicated to the improvement of human life.
5. Is committed to the spirit of inquiry. He/she demonstrates zest for continued
studies including research, which will steadily increase and improve
knowledge, skills and attitude needed by the profession.

Personal Qualifications of Health Worker

1. Philosophy of Life
• It is apprehensive with those basic truths that contributes to personal growth
in a
systemic fashion and with those principles that relate to the moral values that
shape
the facets of the character.
• Develop personal philosophy of life and plan for expanding his personal life.
• Theories of health care can be taught, but not philosophy of life or
philosophy of
service

2. Good personality
• A distinctive individual quality that differentiate one person another.
• It refers to the impression one makes on others which include more than that
Which meets the eye.
• Has deeper traits which come from the heart and which infiltrate the real
person if one wishes to exert a magnetic influence on others.
• It is a rresults of integrating one’s abilities, desires, impulses, habits and
physical character into a harmonious whole.

How to develop one’s personality

1. Warmth of manner, a ready smile, sincere laugh, genuine interest in others
2. Complete sincerity.
3. Sympathetic grooming: Neat hair style, appropriate dress, sufficient make-
up and expressive. Hands-being ever-mindful of the people who see you.

Components of Good Personality

1. Personal appearance
Your appearance reveals more about the real you than any words may
say.

Self-respect is the basis upon which personal appearance is established.

It includes a healthy body motivated by unselfishness and expressing
graciousness.

The components of personal appearance are as follows:

a. Posture
• It refers to habitual or assumed positions of your body in standing, sitting or
 moving about.
• Posture presents some clues to your personality.
• As a health worker, you must be responsible for practicing a physical
regimen that helps to develop and maintain good posture and physical fitness.

b. Grooming
• Your hair should truly “crown” the features of your face in an attractive
manner.
• Your hair should be neat, clean and well arranged.
• It also includes personal hygiene and cleanliness.

c. Dress and Uniform

• Just as self-respect is evident in good posture and personal hygiene, so as it
is reflected
in the care you exercise with regards to dressing.

Basic Guides for Personal Dress

• Undergarments must be clean and properly fitted for body support.
• All articles of clothing should be neat, personable and trim, especially the
“giveaway”
articles such as bra straps, the slip, the heels of the shoes.
• Street attire is expected to be appropriate and to give you a sense of security
in official
or social situations.
• Your wardrobe may be limited, but planning it in basic colors and using
contrasting
or blending shades can add greatly to its extensiveness.
• Accessories should match the attire and should be suitable to the occasion
and your
personality
• Current fads and styles may have to be disregarded to accommodate your
budget or
your body structure.

Health Worker’s Uniform:

• Respect the uniform. It is part of health worker public image.

• Wear only the uniform during working hours. It should not be worn with
jewelry, except a school pin or name plate.
• Uniform must be spotlessly clean, well-fitting and in good repair.
• Shoes should be provide for maximum comfort
• Uniform designated for use in a given hospital are/is worn only in line of
duty and not to be worn outside specified department.
• Modifications of any authorized uniform to suit your individual preference is
not permitted

2. Character

• It refers to moral values and beliefs- used as a guides to personal behavior

and actions.
• What a person inside.
• Development in proportion to emotional and intellectual growth and involves
the degree to which you understand, direct and channel your feelings.
• The health worker utilizes one’s love for fellowman.

CHARITY is the greatest virtue and serves as the foundation for a sense of
values and
the development of human character.

Four virtues emanating from the practice of Charity:

•Justice. The quality of being righteous, correct, fair and impartial.

•Prudence. Permit us to live with good sense and perspective.
Guides one’s choice of action here and now.
•Fortitude. Assists in control feelings, thoughts and emotions in the face of
difficulty
•Temperance. Encourages constructive use of the pleasure of the senses

Eight (8) Attributes of Character:

Honesty, Reliability, Motivation

Loyalty, Resourcefulness,
Tolerance, Judgment, Moderation

1. Honesty
Being truthful, trustworthy and upright in one’s dealing with others as well
as refraining from lying, cheating and stealing.

• Honesty is demonstrated in terms of:

Truthfulness. The quality of being in agreement with facts, reality and

experience
Honor. Making good on commitments
Integrity. Adhering to one’s set of moral values.

• Evidences of honesty can be observed in the following:

1. Care of the materials
2. Recognition of the authority
3. Obedience to rules, regulations and authority
4.Use of time in terms of punctuality in performing activities.

2. Loyalty
• The feeling of confidence, trust and affection you have towards your
family
and friends and towards those who have helped guided and stood by you as
you proceeded toward your goals.
E.g. speaking well about co-workers and the institution where you work

3. Tolerance
 • It manifests itself in your recognition of the rights of others.
• It allows you to respect and accept others as fellow human beings entitled
to enjoy the same basic rights and privileges that you claim for yourself. It
is demonstrated in the practice of patience, a sense of humor, sympathy,
understanding and unselfishness.
E.g. allowing an angry relative to verbalize his/her feelings.

4. Judgement
• Sometimes referred to as “good sense”, it indicates one’s ability to use
one’s
intellectual capacity to form sound opinion. Qualities involved in the use of
judgement is wisdom, discretion and tact.
E.g. questioning an unclear doctor’s order before acting

5. Reliability
• It is dependability and involves one’s use of sound judgement based upon
careful observation and an understanding of any given situation in which
one’s is required to act.
• E.g. Performing one’s responsibility thoroughly even beyond time of duty
as necessary, reporting on duty even during holidays, floods, typhoon
and etc.

6. Motivation
• Something that moves one to plan and accomplish specific things, it is a
Positive force that directs one’s personal actions to the fulfillment of
desires
or drives that are referred to as basic human needs.
• E.g. Aiming to give the best quality of patient care at all times.

7. Resourcefulness
• Involves a person’s ability to recognize and deal promptly and effectively
with difficulties or problems that arise. It the utilization of information
available about a given situation and using it courageously, sensibly and
constructively in dealing with the situation.
• Using indigenous materials/articles in the absence of sophisticated ones.

8. Moderation
• Allows one to maintain harmony and balance among all the elements of
one’s character and in one’s relationship with others by encouraging one to
develop perspective and a sense of objectivity.

3. ATTITUDE
A manner of acting, thinking or feeling that is indicated by one’s response
toward another person, situations or experience.

• Personality is shaped by attitude.

• Pattern of personal behavior
• Result to responses to specific experiences
• Change from time to time as additional knowledge is gained and one’s
understanding is broadened
 • A change in attitude results to a change in behavior.
• Develops from awareness of oneself in relation to individual and
situations.

Eight BE-ATTITUDES of a Health Worker

• Acceptance
• Acceptance of others is indicative self-maturity.
• Facing known and meeting the unknown of life with maximum comfort.
• Changing what can be changed within one’s self
• E.g The health accepts the client as an individual and respecting his/her
culture

• Helpfulness
• Strong feelings towards helping others, giving others attention reassurance
and protective security in the storms of daily living.
• E.g. The health worker assists a weak client in feeding and performing
hygienic measures.

• Friendliness
• Maybe active or passive, warmth of manner, pleasant interaction with
others
• E.g. The health worker establishes rapport with the client and his /her
family

• Firmness
• Being alert to the action of others in a positive, confident way, uses firm,
Kind and immediate methods of approach. health worker establishes
rapport with the client and his /her family
• E.g. The health worker implements hospital rules and policies regarding
visiting hours, number of visitors at a time, use of telephone.

• Permissiveness
• Understanding of motives and the feelings expressed in behavior whether
They are not capable, loosening or tightening the reign of authority in the
interaction, flexibility in responses.
• E.g. Allowing patients to wear his clothing as requested instead of
hospital gown.

• Limit setting
• Knowing the value of her influence, offering of praise or blame, limiting
what others may say or do.
• E.g. The health worker tells the client who keeps on throwing things that
this behavior is unacceptable.

• Sincerity
• Acting naturally, recognizing one’s anger, fears and other feelings.
• E.g. The health worker tells the client who is crying because she lost her
Baby, that she understands how she feels at this time. And the health
worker holds the client’s hand and stays with her.
• Competence
 • Approaching problems intellectually rather than emotionally, displaying
knowledge and ability to deal with situations.
• The health worker stays with the client whose wound on the abdomen has
disrupted and reassures the client that help from a physician’s being
sought for.

4. CHARM
• To influences the senses or the mind by some quality or attraction; delight.
• Innate in one who has a depth of feeling and an outgoing manner.
• May be cultivated by a desire to serve and a deep love for fellow human
beings.

To acquire charm, one needs to cultivate the following:

• Voice. Modulated with clear enunciation.

• Manner. Courteous, attentive, patient, receptive
• Heart. Never to show indifference, empathetic, understanding, and
tolerant. Remember to say “Thank you” as this works miracles in
social harmony.
• Intelligence. Keep an active mind, recognize beauty, and accept ideas from
others, read & exchange opinion and with others.
• Poise. Equanimity, calmness, composure, evenness of temper, self-control.

The requirements for development of poise are as follows:

A. Calmness and composure: Face reality and avoid emotional flare-ups.

B. Control of Temper: Think before acting and avoid verbal and physical.
aggressiveness.

Application

Your task:

Feedback

1. Fill in “What I have Learned” column by writing down what you have learned
from this topic
What I already Know What I Want to know What I have Learned
Summary of the Unit

• Caring is to direct and indirect nurturing and skillful activities, processes,

and decisions that assists the people in ways that are emphatic, compassionate,
and supportive that are dependent on the needs, problems and values of the
individual being assisted.
• Health care professionals should have quality of being in agreement with
facts, reality and experience, making good on commitments, and adhere to
one’s set of moral values. Always consider a person/client /patient as a unique
human being, should be treated fairly and equally at all times, regardless of
personality, creed, socio-economic and health status, traditions as explicit in
dimensions of health.

Reflection:

Based on your readings in Unit II.

1. Using the letters of your FIRSTNAME create an Attributes of Character.

2. How would you deal with a family member who isn’t happy with your care
of the patient?

References:

1. DOH, Public Health Nursing in the Philippines, 2007

2. Cuevas, Frances Prescilla L. Public Health Nursing in the Philippines 10th
edition, c. 2007
3. Josie Quiambao Udan, Fundamentals of Healthc.2009
4. Adion, Diana et al Manual and Checklist on Basic Health Care Procedures,
c. 2009
5. Famorca, Zenaida et al, Nursing Care in the Community, c. 2013
6. Carolyn Jarvis, Pocket Companion for Physical Examination and Health
Assessment 7th edition, c. 2016
7. Kozier, Fundamentals of Nursing, c. 202
Online References:

1.Classification of Health Care Functions (ICHA-HC)

2.The critical role of a nurse: Bridging the gap between art & science