Nursing theories aid in the direction and definition of nursing care, as well as the establishment of clinical decision-making principles.
What are Nursing Theories?
Nursing theories are organized bodies of knowledge that guide nursing practice.
Nursing is a distinct discipline separate from medicine. It has its own body of knowledge that guides care delivery. To distinguish this base of knowledge, nurses must identify, create, and grasp nursing-related concepts and theories.
The Metaparadigm of Nursing
A metaparadigm is a concept from which a nursing model or theory is developed.
The four main metaparadigms are person, environment, health and nursing.
Person
Since the term “person” relates to the patient receiving care, the person is at the center of the four major ideas of nursing theory. The individual may also represent a group of people, families, or communities and be referred to as the “client.”
People change all the time in response to various things, such as their surroundings. This approach considers the patient’s sociocultural, psychological, intellectual, and biological characteristics.
Given that each person is unique and has experienced life in a variety of ways, nurses should consider these factors when recommending treatments. Additionally, it is advantageous for nurses to provide care using a human-centered approach that incorporates emotional support elements like empathy and compassionate communication.
Health
The health concept recognizes the various aspects of a patient’s well-being, such as their physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social components, and how these aspects can be combined to get the best possible health results.
In nursing, health relates to both a patient’s immediate condition of healthcare as well as assisting them in maintaining their general health and wellbeing.
A person’s health is situational and dependent on their surroundings at any one time.
For instance, the way in which health is defined in a theory for elder care will differ from that of a theory concerning infants.
Environment
A nursing environment is the setting where nursing care is delivered. It has an impact on both the patient and their ability to heal, as well as the nursing staff, due to factors such as nursing unit morale. Noise levels, lighting, aroma, room size, and access to nature all have an impact on the nursing environment.
Nursing environments extend outside the clinical context. It is relevant to the patient’s daily life and social experience. The environment metaparadigm in nursing encompasses personal, social, national, and global dimensions, as well as societal attitudes and conventions.
Nursing
This element of the metaparadigm recognizes the nurse-patient connection. It emphasizes the nurse’s role in creating a safe and caring workplace, as well as the high level of service required to achieve the greatest possible patient health outcomes.
Nursing is fundamentally a health-promoting and patient-advocacy practice. It is a professional calling that necessitates extensive training and education in order to deliver the best possible direct patient care. Nurses utilize nursing theory to guide their decisions and think critically in order to decide the appropriate therapy for any given case.
Nursing is founded on scientific theory, but it also considers the human factor to provide the best evidence-based care in a variety of contexts. Nurses employ logical analysis, research, and nursing theories to deliver care that considers human choice and responsibility.
Classification of Nursing Theories
Nursing theories are typically divided into three stages, beginning with abstract principles and progressing to more concrete concepts with each level. These stages include: broad theories, middle-range theories, and practice-level theories.
Grand Nursing Theories
Grand nursing theories are the widest group. They are the most abstract and sophisticated concepts and propositions that serve as a broad framework for nursing care. A grand nursing theory can be applied to a range of nursing care settings and scenarios.
Deliberative Nursing Process Theory (Ida Jean Orlando-Pelletier) is one example of a grand nursing theory. This theory investigates the concept of nursing’s function as well as the nurse-patient relationship. It shows how to apply the nursing approach to enhance patient outcomes.
With such a theory, nurses, nurse educators, and nurse researchers can apply it to a range of patient settings and combine it with other more particular nursing theories to identify the best outcomes.
Middle-Range Nursing Theories
Middle-range nursing theories have a narrower focus than grand nursing theories, but are broader than practice-level nursing theories. Middle-range nursing theories may be derived from theories in related fields, nursing research, or nursing practice.
Middle-range ideas are easier to evaluate than grand nursing theories because they are less abstract. These theories seek to explain, characterize, or forecast certain challenges in clinical nursing practice.
Imogene King’s Theory of Goal Attainment is a good example of a midrange nursing theory. This theory focuses on the elements that influence the achievement of specific life objectives and describes how a nurse and a patient can communicate, create goals, and take action to achieve them. The theory investigates how the personal, interpersonal, and societal systems influence goal attainment.
Practice-Level Nursing Theories
Theories classified at this category are the most focused. They work with extremely situation-specific notions that are limited in scope and focus on a specific patient population. They may draw on concepts from grand and middle-range nursing theories, but they also give specialized frameworks for specific nursing interventions.
Nurses and nurse researchers may apply a practice-level nursing theory to a defined patient group at a given moment. Because these theories are more specialized and distinct, they may combine many theories to develop the best recommended strategy for that particular patient population. An example of a practice-level theory is the theory of human caring.
Importance of Nursing Theories
Nursing theories:
- Provide nurses with justification for healthcare decisions.
- Assist nurses in evaluating patient care.
- Guide evidence-based research, which eventually leads to best practices and policy.
- Improve nurses’ understanding of their role in healthcare.
- Ensure best practices are followed.
- Provide nurses with a distinct identity that distinguishes nursing from medical practice.
- Help patients and healthcare professionals recognize nurses’ contributions.
Application of Nursing Theories
Nursing theories are crucial for the growth and advancement of the nursing profession. Nursing theories are used by a wide range of nursing professions, including students, professors, clinical researchers, and practicing nurses.
Academic professionals and nursing students
In academic contexts, both instructors and students may apply nursing theory. Professors might use them to teach nursing students about excellent practices in the area. They may also use nursing ideas when teaching students how to care for various types of patients.
Nursing theories can provide students with a reference point while they prepare for their future jobs by working with actual or model patients in clinical settings. Professors and students can also apply nursing theories to their own studies in nursing.
Researchers
Researchers can use existing nursing theories as tools to assist them build solid foundations for their research efforts. Using contemporary theories in their articles can assist researchers exhibit their mastery of a specific nursing concept or expertise. Researchers can apply nursing ideas to official or informal research, such as research articles or case studies.
Practicing nurses
When working directly with patients, professional, practicing nurses may refer to nursing theories as a guidance. For instance, a nurse can use practice-level nursing theories to aid in the successful recovery of a patient if they are dealing with a medical condition they are unfamiliar with treating. Depending on their requirements and preferences, nurses may employ nursing theories rarely or often.
