Understanding the essence of care in nurses' lived stories: A phenomenological study.

Background: Caring contains understanding and connecting with the individual and the process of providing the healing effect. Nurses' awareness of the science of care can be improved by analyzing and sharing their care experiences, including their healing power, with members of the profession. Aim: The aim of this study was to understand the meaning of care from nurses' experiences and the real‐life stories told by nurses. Method: A descriptive phenomenological design was used. A total of 124 stories told by 23 nurses participating in the training of Human Caring Theory constituted the sample of the study. The content analysis of the stories was carried out in four stages with Giorgi's phenomenological method analysis. Results: Three themes and six subthemes were derived from the 124 stories. Three main themes: (1) care holds mysteries, (2) care as praxis and (3) obstacles to caring relationship. The first main theme consisted of three subthemes; "Hearing the call for help", "Metaphysical presence" and "Discovery of the healing effect". The second main theme consisted of three subthemes; "Criticism of the objective approach", "Unforgettable experiences of carecaring experiences" and "Awareness of expertise". Conclusion: The use of stories in the training of Human Caring Theory that centers care, besides facilitating learning, has created awareness among nurses about the 'Concept of Care' and has been an important step towards developing awareness of care among nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]