Concept analysis of caring personality for nursing: A review

Caring as a human trait means that a nurse should have a caring personality. As a personality, caring will be an enduring characteristic and behavior; so, a caring nurse always shows caring behavior throughout his or her lifetime. Although experts have studied and applied the concept of caring, studies on the concept of a caring personality are rare. The purpose of this article is to conceptualize the meaning and significance of a caring personality among nurses providing nursing care. To achieve this, we used the Walker and Avant concept analysis approach. The attributes of a caring personality include (1) altruism, (2) emotional intelligence, (3) emotional stability, (4) personal integrity, and (5) optimism. The antecedents of these attributes are biological bases, characteristic adaptation, and learning organization. Nurses with caring personalities will have an impact on professional caring and patient satisfaction. This article presents case examples and a definition of a caring personality. This study concludes that a caring personality in a nurse is an essential foundation for the provision of professional care and satisfaction of patients in nursing care and that the nurse must have a caring personality, in order to provide high-quality, humanized healthcare.