Humanistic Nursing Care for Patients in Low-Resourced Clinical Settings from Students’ Perspectives: A Participatory Qualitative Study

Abstract

Introduction. It is of utmost importance to understand how we can better prepare students to value humanistic spirits and provide humanistic care, a core element of quality care for patients/family characterized by empathy and holistic care, from school to clinical settings (practicum) in low-resourced healthcare environments with seriously low nursing staffing levels. The current study explored participants’ experiences of learning and delivering humanistic care for patients. Methodology. This is a participatory qualitative study. Eligible participants are undergraduate students who completed all the core curricula and are ready to start their one-year clinical practicum/internships. A total of 120 eligible undergraduate students were included in the study. Participants were encouraged to share their own thoughts, questions, and perspectives on learning and providing humanistic care in clinical settings during their one-year practicum from 2020 to 2021. Results. Three major themes emerged: 1. From Textbook to Providing Humanistic Care in low-resourced work contexts; 2. Ethical Considerations; and 3. Implications for Humanistic Nursing Care Education. Discussion. Systematic reforms are needed to make clinical settings more humanistic care-friendly for nurses and nursing students. It is significant to help students internalize the essence of humanistic care in low-resource settings.