Care Practices: A Concept Analysis

Background/Objectives: To analyze the concept of “care practices” as an abstract, relevant element of interest to the nursing discipline. Methods: The Walker & Avant methodology was followed, a structured eight-stage process that ranges from the choice of the concept and the identification of its essential features to the creation of comparative examples (cases) and the definition of their practical effects. The analysis was based on the paradigm of simultaneity, a vision that breaks with the traditional biomedical model, to understand the human being as an indivisible unit. Recognizing the tension between the analytical-positivist roots of the method and the chosen paradigm, Walker & Avant was used in an adaptive, heuristic way. Results: Based on the review of 12 predominantly qualitative articles, “care practices” are defined as actions aimed at solving needs in situations of vulnerability through an interpersonal bond influenced by the environment. Five defining dimensions were identified: awareness of vulnerability, activities in the intersubjective human bond, influence of the environment, recognition of intersectionality without judgment, and the active care of the self. Conclusions: Concept analysis provides nursing with scientific rigor, allowing for the delimitation of its scope and grounding its practice. “Care practices” transcend a mere activity to become a profound human encounter based on the recognition of shared vulnerability, involving not only healthcare personnel but human beings in general.