Nurse theorists have addressed the primacy of the phenomenon of caring, aiming at providing a framework that captures the complex nature of caring. Several theorists emphasized the mechanical facet of care while others emphasized the holistic aspect of care. Spirituality as a central concept in caring theories was targeted in this manuscript; as it a fundamental aspect of holistic care. Watson's Human Caring Science Theory and Lovering's Crescent of Care Nursing Model represent two distinctive approaches to caring in the dimension of spirituality. A compare/contrast approach is used to depict the similarities and differences between both works, focusing on spirituality as a common concept. The outcome of the comparison showed that spirituality is a multidimensional metaphysical concept that both theorists had identified as an indispensable core aspect of holistic nursing and is context-bound in terms of its dimensions, applications, and meaningfulness.
Keywords: Lovering's Crescent of Care Nursing Model; Watson's Human Caring Science Theory; nursing; spirituality; theoretical literature.
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