Adolescent dating violence may lead to adverse health behaviors. We examined associations between sexual teen dating violence victimization (TDVV) and sexual risk behaviors among U.S. high school students using 2013 and 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey data (combined n = 29,346). Sex-stratified logistic regression models were used to estimate these associations among students who had dated or gone out with someone during the past 12 months (n = 20,093). Among these students, 10.5% experienced sexual TDVV. Sexual TDVV was positively associated with sexual intercourse before age 13, four or more lifetime sexual partners, current sexual activity, alcohol or drug use before last sexual intercourse, and no pregnancy prevention during last sexual intercourse. Given significant findings among both sexes, it is valuable for dating violence prevention efforts to target both female and male students.

Authentic presence is generally understood to be an interaction between a nurse and a patient which utilizes behaviors such as a quiet tone of voice, carefully chosen words, physical closeness, eye contact, and therapeutic touch to come to know the patient as an individual, not as just a diagnosis. Through authentic presence, patients’ calls for nursing can be heard and answered, leading to improved outcomes for nurses and patients alike. The theoretical and philosophical origins of authentic presence are examined, and they are found to support the idea that authentic presence is a crucial component to the practice of nursing as an art and a profession.

The purpose of this article is to make connections between caring and the support that occurs among nurses who are making an educational journey and who are in practice. The authors believe that webs of caring and support are formed, which make a stressful journey in higher education and practice tolerable. As faculty members it is imperative that we encourage this support and caring in our students and in each other. Interpretive themes originating from doctoral dissertation studies and lived experiences of being in a writing circle form the foundation of this article.

This study was conducted to examine the nurse’s perception of being cared for in the hospital work environment. A survey design was used with a modified questionnaire based on Watson’s (2008) caring theory. Physical needs, spiritual needs, intellectual stimulation, and authentic relationships were domains measured. Results indicated an overall perception of caring (5.27 on a 7-point scale); however, there is significant variation in perception of caring among units within the hospital. Additional research is recommended for tool refinement and the development of a language of caring to help promote more meaningful communication among staff and patients.

It is interesting to examine the concept of family care when describing relatives’ experience. This article presents a model of caring from relatives’ perspectives; it was developed using an abductive design composed of induction, deduction, and abduction. Reaching the infinite through the abductive process, it is possible to describe a model of caring from relatives’ perspectives being in the atmosphere of community where someone who really knows how it is, is present. Amodel named Terra Caritatis, through which suffering is alleviated in an atmosphere of solidarity, is developed and is presented in this article.

Exposure to toxic chemicals contributes to lifelong health effects such as asthma, diabetes, and cancer. Children, one of the most vulnerable populations, are susceptible to the effects of toxic chemicals they may come in contact in the everyday environment. Children and their families are capable of promoting earth caring by simple activities every day. Teaching earth caring to children might instill habits for a lifetime that contribute to a healthier world and promote positive health for all.

Nurse caring in hospital settings may be demonstrated without direct intention and without the language to express caring actions. Therefore, nursing students educated in a curriculum grounded in caring may not recognize the transformation of theory to the practice environment. This manuscript describes the baccalaureate student perspective of caring behaviors of nurse preceptors. Athematic analysis of unstructured, qualitative interview data revealed six themes: welcoming presence, demonstrating empathy, encouraging growth, patience and time as compassionate care, building relationships, and communicating therapeutically. In addition, students as role models and caring for each other emerged as themes related to student-student caring behaviors.

There is limited research associated with faculty caring in online graduate nursing programs. A survey study of online graduate nursing students (N = 107) was conducted to explore their perspectives of faculty caring using an instrument developed by Sitzman. Five survey items rated extremely important were statistically significant and focused on timely responsiveness, clear instructions of course activities and due dates, length, and quality of online communication, and excellence in online content. Twelve relationships among demographic variables and four qualitative themes emerged and aligned with the survey items. Findings offer faculty practical strategies for online teaching and learning practices.

An interprofessional massive open online course in caring science and mindfulness was offered in summer 2015, emphasizing caring experiences through reflection and group discussions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate caring intentions of course participants upon course completion. Three researchers reviewed data from final discussion postings and reached consensus regarding themes and subthemes using an inductive qualitative analysis approach. Five primary themes were derived: the ripple effect from caring, self-care is imperative, validation of caring/mindfulness, infusing caring science into relationships, and course-concept application. Course participants discussed the transformative caring process through past experiences, course collegiality, and future goals.

Empathy is one of the most important skills necessary for human connectedness, is essential for the nurse–patient relationship, and improves patient outcomes. Despite its significance, schools of nursing find it difficult to include empathy in curricula that are already burdened with content required by licensing agencies. Additionally, the literature lacks a consistent definition for empathy. The Walker and Avant method of concept analysis is used to explore empathy and offers a working definition with implications for future research.

Using the Quality-Caring Model©, this correlational study explored the relationship between Phase II cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participants’ perception of nurse caring and participants’ depression, anxiety, and adherence. There were inverse relationships between participants’ perception of nurse caring and anxiety (p < .05) and participants’ perception of nurse caring and depression (p < .05). Depression was the most predictive indicator for nonadherence to the Phase II CR program. The three highest Caring Assessment Tool (CAT-IV) item scores identified Duffy’s factor Human Dignity. This study supported the CAT-IV as a reliable instrument in an outpatient CR program. Suggestions for future research are included.

Palliative and hospice services are underutilized as medical interventions. There is a stigma attached to these types of care. People synonymously use phrases such as “giving up” or “ending the fight” to describe palliative and hospice practices. However, research has proven many benefits to including these types of services in the care of those battling cancer regardless of how close they are to death. They can prolong life and increase quality of life at the end of life for both the patient and family. However, there are barriers to these practices that need to be addressed. Uncertain prognosis, misunderstanding of services, and difficulty initiating emotional conversations are just some of the obstacles that block the benefits of palliative and hospice care from being obtained. To increase services, the negative connotation associated with “palliative care” and “hospice care” must be overcome. Conversations about prognosis and treatment options must take place upon a cancer diagnosis. If palliative and hospice services become a standard of care initiated early on in the disease process, it will allow for the achievement of a “good death” by all.

The purpose of this article is to frame the development of humanoid healthcare robots (HHRs) within Caring Science. Efforts to introduce robot technologies in nursing practice and to use them in elderly and high-tech healthcare environments have begun in developed countries. HHRs can be used to assist nurses with tasks or to perform care-related tasks independently. HHRs need to be programmed to demonstrate respectful, compassionate, and person-centered care. In this article we suggest Caring Science-informed approaches based on five philosophies/theories that can be used in programming the responses and communication patterns of HHRs.

Working as a nurse’s aide provided an opportunity to observe loss and hope as experienced by patients with cancer. Although difficult to define, by using the analogy of the Chinese symbol of the yin and yang, loss and hope can better be described. Yin and yang are not unlike the concepts of loss and hope, especially when the two concepts are related to the four themes of yin and yang: opposition, togetherness, transformation, and balance. Like yin and yang, understanding the interactions that exist between loss and hope is fundamental to understanding the patient experiencing loss and hope.

This phenomenological study of the lived experience of professional nurse caring was informed by data from seven coronary care unit patients in Sydney, Australia. A number of themes emerged which indicate that professional nurse caring is primarily experienced as a response to the individual which is tailored to his or her unique needs. This response is mediated through a relationship that is professional in nature alnd cariing in character. In this highly technical environment the professional coronary care nurse enacts this caring response through technical competence, nurturing, and providing structure.

In this research brief, researchers used a quantitative method, descriptive design, and cross-sequential grouping to investigate changes in empathy of pre-professional healthcare students over the course of their degree programs. Changes in empathy occurred; however, changes did not measure as statistically significant. Empathy overall increased; it decreased for certain majors and increased for others. The importance of empathy in the healthcare arena points to a need for specific efforts by educators toward increasing student empathy throughout these programs of study. This study showed that empathy is being maintained, but only just barely, over the course of these programs.

The technological advancement in healthcare is shaking up the way nurses render care. From robotic surgeries, electronic medical records, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and humanoid healthcare robots, the continuity of nurse caring is further illuminated in situations of advancing technology that require a call for nursing. In this changing work environment, technological competence is undoubtedly imperative. However, it takes more than just being technologically competent to address the complex needs of patients. Understanding not only how, but why we need these technologies in patient care delivery is a requisite to nurse caring.

An educational intervention was developed based on Watson’s theory of human caring and dispensed to hemodialysis (HD) nurses in Nyon, Switzerland. HD patients point out that human contact with nurses can become therapeutic when characterized by caring. Research has documented the importance of the contribution of such caring practice to the rehabilitation of patients living with a chronic illness. This initiative supports the relevance of exploring humanistic caring practice in order to contribute to the rehabilitation of HD patients. The article presents the principal stages of the theoretical development of the educational intervention.

The Nyberg Caring Assessment Scale (NCA) and the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators (NDNQI) were used to measure nurse caring and hospital acquired pressure ulcers. This is an exploratory, descriptive, single-site study conducted in a large academic, trauma center, twice Magnet® designated in the southeast United States. Caring theory, the mechanics of pressure ulcer development, and wound prevalence between medical-surgical and critical care units was explored. No statistically significant differences in caring scores were identified between nurse groups, although pressure ulcer prevalence differed. Existing high standards of care and the tool itself are noted as factors influencing the results.

Patients who are ill must often face difficult clinical decisions with uncertain outcomes. Spiritual practices have the ability to articulate this uncertainty by providing a context where anxieties may be faced, felt, and understood. These understandings may support increased clarity about factual and emotional content in clinical decisions. Key to spiritual practice is the inclusion of the “unknown” or “liminal space” within the clinical encounter. In healthcare encounters, we often deny we are standing at the threshold of the unknown. Steps for accessing an applied spirituality that allows practitioners to enter, stay, and leave a liminal space in clinical encounters are described.

Humanism’s tenets are rarely described in regard to the theories of our discipline. In this article, we outline the historical origins of the humanism movements along with its etymology in order to analyze the assumptions that were brought up by selected North American nursing scholars related to human caring. We then detail each perspective while linking their premises with the roots of humanism. While discussing humanistic caring theories in nursing, we clarify relational concepts such as mutuality, reciprocity, authenticity, and human potential. We finally conclude with a summary of the main tenets of humanism and its implications for nursing practice.

The words nurse or nursing as related to the profession of nursing today tend to be associated with the words care and caring. Care and caring have been discussed and researched by scholars from different disciplines. This paper provides an overview of care and caring from the historical, ethical, and theoretical viewpoints of scholars in the field, such as Reverby, Gilligan, Noddings, Watson, and Munhall, that form the foundation for a clinical case discussion. The role of the advanced practice registered nurse in teaching care and caring is discussed and future research opportunities explored.