Critical analysis of the scientific production on Jean Watson's Theory of Human Care.
Shirley da Rocha Afonso, Maria Itayra Padilha, Vanessa Ribeiro Neves and 2 others
PMID 38896708WHAT IT FOUND
Scientific production on Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring surged between 2020 and 2021, driven by pandemic-era focus on holistic care.
Research centers on nursing education, ethical behavior, and validating care instruments rather than testing patient outcomes.
Key findings
01There was a significant increase in studies on Watson’s theory in 2020 and 2021, with 11 studies in 2020 alone.
02The literature primarily addresses nursing education, staff ethical behavior, and instrument validation, not direct clinical efficacy for patients.
03United States and Brazil authors dominated the research landscape, with the US contributing the largest volume of authors and citations.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The search was restricted to a single database (Scopus), which may have missed relevant studies indexed elsewhere. The term 'Watson’s Theory of Caring' is not linked in DeCS or MeSH thesauruses, potentially limiting the retrieval of related works. The study analyzes scientific production and trends, not the quality or clinical effectiveness of the interventions described in the cited papers. There is a geographic bias, with little scientific production from Latin American researchers other than Brazil, and no data from other regions might be underrepresented.
Declared interests
Funded by CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel-Brazil). No other conflicts of interest declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the high volume of publications and citations as evidence that Watson’s Theory of Human Caring has been proven to improve patient health outcomes. The study maps academic trends and educational applications, not clinical efficacy.