Concept Analysis of True Presence in Nursing Practice

Shawndra Tosh, RN BSN
Maryville University

Rosemarie Rizzo Parse 's theory of humanbecoming focuses on quality of life as well nurses providing "true presence" to patients. Merriam-Webster defines presence as "the fact or condition of being present; the part of space within one 's immediate vicinity; a noteworthy quality of poise and effectiveness (Presence, 2018). As technology continues to play a larger role in healthcare, to the point of some patients using telemedicine and "seeing" a physician via a video conference call, it becomes more important to define and examine how we as healthcare providers can still be present for our patients and provide them with the hands-on care on which nursing was founded.
SEARCH METHODS Electronic searches were conducted using the terms "presence," "presence in nursing practice," "healing presence," and "therapeutic presence." Databases included Google Scholar, PubMed, and CINAHL. Search limits were set for articles available in English, no other qualifications were excluded. Six publications were found to be easily accessible for the purpose of this concept analysis. All studies found were qualitative, descriptive studies.
CONCEPT SELECTION For the purpose of this analysis, it is presumed that all nurses have the capability to be present, therefore it is assumed all nurses can also enhance their presence within their practice to be measured and