Which of the following is a core value of nursing?

Appeared in: JIPMER Pondicherry NO - 2022

Explanation

Compassion is a foundational ethical principle in nursing, involving empathy and a sincere desire to understand and alleviate a patient's suffering.
It is central to forming a therapeutic nurse-patient relationship, which is essential for providing effective, patient-centered care and building trust.
Professional nursing organizations and theorists consistently identify compassion as a core professional value that guides nursing practice.

Option A: Nursing emphasizes collaboration and teamwork for patient safety. Competition is counterproductive to the cooperative environment needed in healthcare.
Option C: Nursing practice is built on connection, presence, and building therapeutic relationships. Isolation is the antithesis of this principle.
Option D: Nursing care must be flexible and individualized to meet each patient's unique needs. A rigid approach is ineffective and can be harmful.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Core Values in Professional Nursing helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Compassionate care is directly linked to better patient outcomes, including improved pain management, reduced anxiety, shorter hospital stays, and higher patient satisfaction.
A lack of compassion can lead to patient complaints, poor therapeutic alliances, medication errors, and negative health outcomes. It is also a key factor in nurse burnout and compassion fatigue.
What if? If a nurse feels unable to be compassionate due to burnout, the professional response is to recognize the signs of compassion fatigue, seek support from supervisors or mental health professionals, and utilize self-care strategies to prevent personal feelings from negatively impacting patient care.

How to Approach the Question

Identify the key concept in the question, which is 'core value of nursing'.
Think about the fundamental purpose of nursing: to care for people.
Evaluate each option based on whether it supports or undermines the act of caring.
Eliminate the options that are clearly negative or contrary to a helping profession (Competition, Isolation, Rigidness).
Select the option that represents a positive, foundational attribute required to build a therapeutic relationship and provide effective care (Compassion).

Concept Tested & Keywords

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E6 Nursing Fundamentals Potter Perry 12e Part 1 p. 113-115

E6 Nursing_Management_and_leadership_Johny_Kutty_JosephCbs_Publishers (pp 16-364 of 374) p. 320-322

Practise the full JIPMER Pondicherry NO - 2022

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.