Nurses’ perceptions of caring activities in nursing

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to determine nurses’ perceptions of caring activities in nursing. Design: A descriptive study design. Methods: A Turkish translation of the 25-item version of the Caring Dimensions Inventory was completed by 260 nurses working in one university hospital. Data were analysed using Mokken scaling. Results: Technical aspects of nursing were highly endorsed items such as “observing the effects of a medication on a patient, measuring vital signs, being technically competent with a clinical procedure, consulting with the doctor” except for the item “providing privacy for a patient” which is a psychosocial item. The range of items included in the Mokken scale with “providing privacy for a patient” (mean = 4.31) as the most endorsed, and “exploring the patient's lifestyle” (mean = 2.60) being the least endorsed item. Listening to patients and involving them in their care are not considered as caring.