Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring in nursing education: A narrative review and implications for Vietnamese context

Tóm tắt

   Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring has been increasingly applied in nursing education to foster holistic caring competence and the development of professional identity among nursing students. This article aims to provide a thematic synthesis of existing evidence on the application of Watson’s Theory in nursing education and to analyze its implications for the Vietnamese context. A narrative review was conducted using a structured search strategy across major academic databases. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria and were synthesized thematically into three categories: (1) educational interventions with outcome measurement; (2) innovations in teaching-learning methods and learning experiences; and (3) curriculum-level integration of Watson’s Theory. Findings indicate that interventions and pedagogical models informed by Watson’s Theory were associated with improvements in caring behaviors, professional ethical attitudes, and psychological well-being among nursing students. However, the current body of evidence remains limited in scope and methodological diversity, and empirical studies conducted in Vietnam are scarce. The review suggests the potential feasibility of integrating Watson’s principles into nursing curricula and pedagogical strategies in Vietnam, while highlighting the need for rigorously designed empirical studies to evaluate contextual effectiveness.

DOI: 10.59715/pntjmp.5.2.5