Major Concepts
1. Caring
2. Spiritual-ethical caring
3. Education
4. Physical
5. Socio-Cultural
6. Legal
7. Technological
8. Political
9. Economic
CARING
Caring is defined as a complex, transcultural, relation process, grounded in ethical, spiritual context. As such, caring is the relationship between charity and right action, between love as compassion in response to suffering and need, and justice or fairness in terms of what ought to be done. Caring occurs within a culture or society, including personal culture, hospital organizational culture, or society and global structure.
SPIRITUAL-ETHICAL CARING
This relates to the holism and integration of the body, mind and spirit. Spirituality involves creativity and choice and is revealed in attachment, love and community. The ethical imperatives of caring that join with the spiritual relate to our moral obligations to others. This means never treating people simply as a means to an end or an end in itself but rather as beings who have the capacity to make choices. Spiritual-ethical caring for nursing focuses on how the facilitation of choices for the good of others can or should be accomplished.
EDUCATION
Formal and informal educational programs, use of audiovisual media to convey information, and other forms of teaching and sharing information are educational factors related to the meaning of care.
PHYSICAL
Physical factors related to the physical state of being, including biological and mental patterns. Because the mind and body are interrelated, each pattern influences the other.
SOCIO-CULTURAL
Socio and cultural factors are ethnicity and family structures; intimacy with friends and family; communication; social interaction and support; understanding interrelationships; involvement, and intimacy; and structures of cultural groups and community and society.
LEGAL
Legal factors related to the meaning of caring include responsibility and accountability; rules and principles to guide behaviors, such as policies and procedures; informed consent; right to privacy; malpractice and liability issues; client, family, and professional rights; and the practice of defensive medicine and nursing.
TECHNOLOGICAL
Technological factors include non-human resources, such as the use of machinery to maintain the physiological well-being of the patient, diagnostic tests, pharmaceutical agents, and the knowledge and skill needed to utilize these resources. Also included the technology is computer-assisted practice and documentation.
ECONOMIC
Factors related to the meaning of caring include money, budget, insurance systems, limitations, and guidelines imposed by managed care organizations and, in general, allocation of scarce human and material resources to maintain the economic viability of the organization. Caring is an interpersonal resource should be considered as well as goods, money and services.
POLITICAL
Political factors and the power structure within healthcare administration influence how nursing is viewed in healthcare and include patterns of communication and decision making in the organization; role and gender stratification among nurses, physicians and administrators; union activities, including negotiation and confrontation; government and insurance company influences; uses of power, prestige, and privileges are, in general competition for scarce human and material resources.
Reference: http://marilynray.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Theory-of-Bureaucratic-Caring.pdf