Healing Presence

Abstract

Since the introduction of presence as a concept in nursing literature in the early 1960s, nurse philosophers, theorists, and researchers have attempted to define and describe presence as it relates to nursing practice. Understanding of nursing presence and its link, if any, to nurse-patient interaction is basically subjective and intuitive. This article is based on the assumption that nursing presence fully understood may result in greater patient satisfaction and healing potential. A three-stage, hierarchical model culminating in healing presence is used to understand the nurse-patient dyad. The model is calibrated in terms of nursing maturity using Benner’s novice nurse/expert nurse idea, Hanneman’s expert nurse/nonexpert nurse view, Zaner’s vivid-presence/copresence, and Doona, Chase, and Haggerty’s nursing presence.