[Applying Swanson's Caring Theory to a Patient With an Initial Diagnosis of Marfan's Syndrome With Aortic Dissection].

Abstract

This article describes the author's experience using Swanson Care Theory in the provision of nursing care to a 20-year-old man, an exchange student from Hong Kong, following his initial diagnosis with Marfan's syndrome. This patient required emergency aortic root replacement surgery due to type A aortic dissection. Immediately after learning of his illness, the patient was faced with making a major surgical decision. The absence of relatives and friends close by to assist him made him unable to decide whether to agree to the operation. Because of the importance of evaluating the physical and mental needs of the case, which would affect his prognosis, the author conducted a four-facet physical, psychological, social, and spiritual assessment of the patient from April 13-18, 2020. The results confirmed the presence of significant health problems, including "body image disturbance" and "anxiety". The author applied the five processes of Swanson's caring theory in caring for this patient. The process of "Knowing" and "Being with" helped, through active companionship and care, establish a trusting relationship, elucidate the client's inner thoughts on the disease, evaluate the client's needs, and accept the negative emotions. The process of "Doing for" and "Enabling" were employed to serve as a bridge for family communication to help both parties achieve consensus and to encourage effective problem-facing, provide timely assistance, promote self-adjustment, and reduce psychological shock, unease, and anxiety. Health education was implemented to increase the patient's disease and postoperative-care knowledge and promote self-care abilities to facilitate his acceptance of the current situation and active participation in treatment. Finally, the process of "Maintaining belief" was used to elicit positive feedback through actual situations. Patients with conditions similar to this patient were introduced to share their experiences and provide empathy to provide our patient with the motivation necessary to maintain positive progress. Based on this experience, it is recommended that critical caregivers strengthen their caring ability to improve their quality of care. This experience is may be referenced by clinical workers.