Applications of Existential Philosophy in Human-Centered Nursing Care: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Nursing is a profession intertwined with profound concepts such as meaning, suffering, death, freedom, and choice, concepts that lie at the core of existential philosophy. An understanding of the philosophical foundations of nursing plays a pivotal role in enhancing human-centered (person-centered) care. Accordingly, this study aimed to review and analyze the existing literature on the role of existential philosophy in nursing. This study employed a narrative review design. A systematic search of reputable databases, using the Persian and English keywords “existentialism” and “nursing”, identified ten eligible studies for inclusion. The review revealed that existential concepts have been applied in nursing primarily in areas such as fostering meaningful nurse-patient interactions, enhancing the sense of meaning in nursing practice to reduce burnout, providing meaning-centered consolation in end-of-life care, and educating in meaning-centered care. The findings of this review indicated that existential philosophy, through its emphasis on concepts such as meaning, freedom, responsibility, and suffering, can deepen person-centered approaches in nursing and play a significant role in enhancing therapeutic relationships, ethical decision-making, and care provision in sensitive and existentially challenging situations, particularly in end-of-life care.