Love,possibly the very heart and soul of nursing, has only occasionally been addressed as a phenomenon in nursing. However, in our current stress-filled time of change and challenges to nursing and healthcare, it seems more appropriate now than ever to examine the concept. What does the word love mean, and how is it applied and manifested in nursing? This paper begins to address this question by reviewing the descriptions of some major nurse theorists and describing a sample of qualitative studies on the concept. The paper aims to stimulate more discussion and research.
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