Person-Centered Nursing Theory

Person-centred nursing is widely practised in clinical areas today, the original concept was developed from the work of psychologists such as Carl Rogers and Tom Kitwood. Rogers (1957.1961) considered empathy and unconditional positive regard to be core features of any therapeutic relationship in counselling. He developed the concept of person-centred therapy in counselling. Stein-Parbury (2009) writes about the use of interpersonal skills in nursing and places a focus on Roger’s model of person-centred therapy. She states that person-centred nursing models have been influenced by the work of Rogers. Stein-Parbury (2009) reports that, according to Rogers (1961); positive nurse-patient relationships promote a caring environment in which the patient can grow and develop.

Kitwood (1997,p.8) defines personhood as: ‘..a standing or status bestowed upon one human being by others in the context of particular social relationships and institutional arrangements. It implies recognition, respect and trust’. In an article looking at older people and dementia, Mitchell & Agnelli (2015) suggest that Kitwood’s theories of positive person work and malignant social psychology facilitate healthcare workers in implementing person-centred practices for the older person. They question whether the psychological needs of older people with cognitive deficits are sufficiently met in the clinical area and state that there must be an increased focus on Kitwood’s theories in order to improve care for these