Asian Journal of Research in Nursing and Health

Background: The nursing profession is widely recognised as emotionally demanding owing to continual exposure to stressful clinical environments, patient suffering, substantial workloads, and persistent workplace pressures. Nurses are frequently required to regulate their emotions while maintaining professionalism and delivering high-quality patient care under emotionally and physically exhausting conditions. The cumulative impact of these challenges may adversely affect nurses’ psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and overall professional performance, thereby highlighting the importance of effective emotional coping mechanisms and organisational support systems within healthcare settings.

Aim: This qualitative descriptive study aimed to explore and describe the lived experiences of Filipino nurses in practicing self-awareness in patient care. Specifically, the study sought to describe nurses’ perceptions of self-awareness, examine how self-awareness influences nurse-patient interactions, identify challenges encountered in maintaining self-awareness in demanding clinical environments, and determine how self-awareness contributes to holistic nursing care and professional growth.

Methodology: The study utilized a qualitative descriptive phenomenological design. Participants were registered Filipino nurses actively engaged in direct patient care within selected healthcare institutions in the Philippines. Purposive criterion sampling was employed to select participants who met the inclusion criteria. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews using a researcher-developed interview guide. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis. Data collection continued until saturation was achieved. Trustworthiness of the study was ensured through credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability.

Results: The findings revealed four major themes and twelve subthemes describing the experiences of Filipino nurses in practicing self-awareness in patient care. The first major theme, Developing Awareness of One’s Emotions and Reactions in Care, highlighted nurses’ recognition of emotional responses, stress, fatigue, and emotional regulation during patient care. The second major theme, Strengthening Compassionate and Therapeutic Patient Care, emphasized how self-awareness enhanced empathy, malasakit, therapeutic communication, and holistic patient care. The third major theme, Struggling to Maintain Self-Awareness in Demanding Clinical Environments, reflected challenges related to burnout, emotional exhaustion, toxic duties, and balancing professionalism with personal emotions. The fourth major theme, Achieving Personal and Professional Growth Through Reflective Practice, described how self-awareness contributed to reflective learning, resilience, emotional maturity, mindfulness, and professional growth among nurses.

Conclusion: The study concluded that self-awareness is an important aspect of nursing practice that influences emotional regulation, therapeutic communication, compassionate patient care, and professional growth among Filipino nurses. Despite the emotional and professional challenges encountered in demanding healthcare environments, nurses demonstrated resilience, reflective awareness, and intentionality in patient care. The findings highlight the importance of promoting self-awareness, reflective practice, and emotional support programs within nursing education and healthcare institutions to strengthen holistic and patient-centered nursing care.