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Previously explored as separate phenomena, this phenomenological-hermeneutic study integrated caring and presence with the experience of caring presence described within the context of a shared nurse practitioner-patient relationship. The results suggest that caring presence is (1) mutual trust and sharing; (2) transcending connectedness; and (3) experience. Research related to caring presence within the nurse practitioner-patient relationship in the context of a managed care outpatient system provides another basis from which to develop nursing knowledge that guides practice within the boundaries of and barriers to care in the technologic world of healthcare.

Interest in presence within a caring relationship has gained renewed attention in the past decade. For five decades, presence has been implicit and explicit in nursing theory. Recognizing caring presence as important to nursing, the 13th Annual Caring Research Conference in 1992 spotlighted the topic. Yet few publications appeared in nursing literature between the years 1980 to 1991. Since that time, interest in and literature about the topic has greatly increased. The elusive nature of the phenomenon, however, makes it difficult to define. This article presents a review of literature of presence and suggests a working definition that could be used as the basis for research. Placing presence within the context of caring provides a way for the holistic nurse to offer caring-healing ways of being and relating.

1. Music, a universal language with many purposes, can be used in the health care setting to aid in stress reduction and anxiety. 2. When used in the psychiatric setting, music can elicit emotion and affect behavior change. 3. Nurses in the psychiatric setting can include music in a group session that evokes thoughts, feelings, and memories for the clients.