patient perspective of caring expressed by nurses through patient explaining (teaching)

Nursing researchers studying the concept of caring in nursing have identified patient teaching as a valued nurse caring behavior. However, no research has been conducted that examines patient teaching as an expression of caring. The purpose of this study was to examine and describe the patient perspective of caring expressed by nurses through patient teaching. Twelve patients in a hospital setting shared their thoughts and feelings about caring expressed by nurses through 'explaining', as the participants preferred to call 'teaching,' during open-ended tape-recorded interviews or in writing. A qualitative descriptive content analysis method was used to analyze the descriptions. Twenty-six subcategories that emerged from the coded data were grouped into four broad categories defined as: Nurse's Way of Being; Nurse's Doing For Patient; Nurse's Being With Patient; and Nurse's Caring Affects Patient.