Caring presence in practice: facilitating an appreciative discourse in nursing

Abstract

Aim To report on an appreciation of caring presence practised by nurses in South Africa in order to facilitate an appreciative discourse in nursing and a return to caring values and attitudes. Background Appreciative reports on caring presence are often overlooked. Media may provide a platform for facilitating appreciation for caring presence practised by nurses. Such an appreciation may foster further practice of caring presence and re-ignite a caring ethos in nursing. Introduction This article provides an appreciative discourse on caring presence in nursing in the form of examples of caring presence practised by nurses. Method An anecdotal approach was followed. Social media, namely narratives on caring presence shared by nurses on a Facebook page, and formal media, namely news reports in which nurses are appreciated for their efforts, were used. Deductive content analysis was applied to analyse the narratives and news reports in relation to a definition of caring presence and types of caring presence. Findings The analysis of the narratives and news reports resulted in an appreciative discourse in which examples of nurses practising caring presence could be provided. Discussion Examples of nurses practising caring presence could be found, and an appreciative discourse could be initiated. Conclusion and implications for nursing policy Appreciation ignites positive action and ownership of high-quality health care. Leadership should thus cultivate a culture of appreciating nurses, through using media, and encourage nurses to share how caring presence impact on quality in health care