Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Instructions:

Select one (1) of the following scenarios related to a specific nursing. Think about what you would do in the scenario presented and post your ideas.
Post two (2) discussion questions based on the readings along with your answers.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

TheoristScenarioFlorence Nightengale

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Using Nightengale’s concepts of ventilation, light, noise, and cleanliness, analyze the setting in which you are practicing nursing (working as an employee or student).
Using Nightengale’s theory, evaluate the nursing interventions you have identified for an individual patient in your facility or practice.

OR

Your hospital patient is an 82 year-old woman. She does not have immediate family and has been living alone in her own home. Her hospitalization was unanticipated; it followed a visit to the emergency room for a burn on her lower leg. The patient has been hospitalized for 14 days. She pleads with you to allow her friend to bring her dog, a 16-year-old Scotty Terrier, to the hospital. She tells you that none of the other nurses have listened to her when she asked them about such a visit. Based on Nightingale’s model, and 13 cannon, what actions would you take for this patient?Applying Nursing Theory Essay
Betty Neuman

Martina is a middle-aged Hispanic woman who brings her family to a local free clinic to obtain medical care. She works part time in a restaurant for minimum wage. She lives in a small apartment with her daughter and four preschool children; her daughter speaks only very broken English. Martina’s medical diagnoses are hypertension, arthritis, and depression.

Use the Neuman System Model as a conceptual framework to respond to the following:
Describe the family as a system.
How does the dominant Anglo culture impact on the family’s stability as a system?
What stressors (actual and potential) threaten the family?
What additional assessment data are needed related to Martina’s medical diagnoses?
What additional assessment data are needed related to the family’s health status?
How will cultural differences influence planning for prevention as intervention at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels?Applying Nursing Theory Essay

OR

Using the Neuman System Model, organize a patient care conference in your workplace to deal with a patient situation that has been difficult to manage. Involve caregivers from nursing and at least one other disicpline to discuss each of the following:
What factors comprise the patient’s normal and flexible lines of defense and lines of resistance?
What stressors are causing the problems with this patitent? What is the patient’s reaction to the stressor? What is each discipline’s perspective on the problem or isssues that are involved?
How is the situation influenced by the patient’s family system? By the patient’s environment?
What would be the ideal coutocme in this situation from each discipline’s perspective? From the patient’s perspective?
What goals would be appropariate to neogotiate with the patient?
What primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention-as-interventions would support attainment of these goals?
Imogene King

Think about and write your personal definitions of environment, health, nursing, and person. (Do these sound familiar to you?). Compare your definitions with King’s definitions. How are they similar? How are they different? Are they more alike than different? If they are more alike, develop a plan to use King’s framework and theory more extensively in your paper (and practice).Applying Nursing Theory Essay

OR

Does the philosophy of one of the agencies in which you have practiced encourage the involvement of the patients in their care? If so, does mutual goal setting occur? If not, what changes would you suggest to promote more active involvement of the patients in their own care?

Analyze an interaction you have had with a patient. Were you able to achieve a transaction as King describes it? If so, think about what you did differently with this person? If not, think about the interaction and try to identify why the transaction was not achieved?
Hildegard Peplau

During the therapeutic relationship, patients may distort their perceptions of others. Therefore they may relate to the nurse not on the basis of the nurse’s realistic attributes, but wholly or chiefly on the basis of interpersonal relationships existing in their environment. With the patient and nurse roles you have described above, discuss how these distorted perceptions may affect the patient’s care and the nurse-patient relationship.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

OR

Considering the nurse-patient relationship created in question #1 above, discuss the phases and the changing roles that would be considered when working with this patient. Consider experiences in which you would 0r/and would not be able to accomplish the appropriate goals for each phase of the nurse-patient relationship.
Madeleine Leininger

Discuss the usefulness of the Culture Care: Diversity and Universality Theory in the 21st Century to discover nursing knowledge and to provide culturally congruent care. Take into consideration the current trends of consumers of healthcare, cultural diversity factors, and changes in medical and nursing school curricula. Listed below are some examples of trends and changes you may want to consider in your discussion:

The importance of transcultural nursing knowledge in an increasingly diverse world
An increase of lay support groups to provide information and sharing of experiences and support for patients and/or families experiencing chronic, terminal, or life-threatening illnesses or treatment modalities from diverse and similar (common) cultures.Applying Nursing Theory Essay
Use of cultural values, beliefs, health practices, and research knowledge in undergraduate, alternative medicine, herbs, vitamins, minerals, and other over-the-counter medications, which demand a transcultural knowledge base.

Prior to the development of nursing theories, nursing practice was viewed as a series of tasks that required little to no rationale. The evolution of nursing theories and philosophies has facilitated the progression of nursing as a vocation to nursing as an academic discipline and profession. Nursing theory promotes autonomy when used as a guide for critical thinking and decision making. Ultimately nursing theory and philosophy has increased knowledge development and enriched the quality of nursing practice (McEwen & Wills, 2011).

Nursing philosophy and theory are two interchangeable terms. The philosophy a nurse has on nursing will determine the theory and model he or she uses. Nursing philosophy explains what nursing is and gives insight to why nurses practice the way they do. Nursing theory describes how nurses and patients are able to produce healing and good health, by using models to explain how beliefs and aspects of health are related. Theory is used to explain and analyze what nurses do as well as facilitate communication between nurses and guide research and education. Nursing theory encompasses the foundations of nursing practice past and present and provides direction for how nursing should develop in the future (Alligood & Tomey, 2002).Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Nursing theory is a broad term, according to Marilyn Parker in Nursing Theories and Nursing Practice, which portrays and clarifies the “phenomena of interest.” Nursing theory provides understanding for the advanced practice nurse to use in actual practice and evidence based research. Nursing theory has many purposes, which imitate the multiples specialties in professional nursing. Ultimately the goal is to promote the delivery of the best quality of care. The functions of nursing theory are to guide thinking, define the place of nursing in health and illness care, and to provide organization for the development of nursing education (Parker, 2006). Nursing theory provides a format for professional nursing to practice and make decisions. There are three major types of nursing theory: grand theory, middle range theory, and nursing practice theory. Each of these theories helps the nurse to provide more proficient patient care (McEwen & Willis, 2011).Applying Nursing Theory Essay

The purpose of nursing theories is guide encourage and increase autonomy of nursing. Nursing theory improves communication with other health professionals and develops ideas and words by building a common nursing terminology. Theories have become necessary for effective decision making and implementation because they provide a basis for collecting reliable and valid data. Nursing theory is key in the practice of nurses and advanced practice nurses because it serves as a guide to assessment, intervention, and evaluation of care. Theory provides a measurable way to evaluate the quality of nursing care (Colley, 2003).Applying Nursing Theory Essay

According to Meleis, there are many beneficial uses of nursing theory. Nursing theory provides a basis for research and a frame of reference for patient assessment, diagnosis and intervention. It makes nursing practice more competent and valuable. Nursing theory provides a common platform for communication between the advanced practice nurse and other disciplines involved in a patient’s care. It supports the “professional autonomy,” responsibility, and liability of the advanced practice nurse (Meleis, 2011). Benefits of theory based practice are structure and organization, a systematic, purposeful approach, focus, coordinated and less fragmented care, and identifiable and traceable goals and outcomes.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

While there are many benefits of nursing theory, there are some barriers to developing and applying nursing theory. Nurses are considered doers, not thinkers. A lot of people choose to pursue the nursing profession to be advocates and to help and assist people, not to think about philosophical or ethical issues. Financial stress and a focus on career advancement within the nursing profession is proven to be a major barrier to philosophical thinking about nursing and seeking out education and training. The biggest obstacle in trying to effectively apply a nursing theory, is trying to use the wrong type of theory, or model, in a specific nursing situation. One type of theory cannot be applied every patient stipulation. Also, many nurses do not have an sufficient understanding of the types of nursing theories to use them effectively (Meleis, 2011).Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Three popular nursing theorists are Florence Nightingale, Jean Watson, and Dorothea Orem. Florence Nightingale published, “Notes on Nursing: What it is, What is not,” in 1860. These notes became the true basis of nursing research and practice. Jean Watson developed the Theory of Human Caring between 1975 and 1979. This theory brings significance and focus to nursing as an up-and-coming discipline and separate health profession with its own distinctive ethics, knowledge, and traditions. Dorothea Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Nursing Theory comes from her belief that people have the ability to care for themselves and their families. Her theory explains that nurse have to supply the care patients need when they cannot care for themselves (Im & Ju Chang, 2012).Applying Nursing Theory Essay

“Nursing philosophy represents the belief system of the profession that provides perspectives for practice, for scholarship, and for research.” Nursing philosophy is the overview of the basic beliefs about nursing practice. It is the outline of the viewpoint regarding what nursing is, what it aims to be, and how that can be realized. Nursing philosophy examines the nature of nursing, the nurse-patient relationship, and the heart of nursing. It serves as a guide for nurses in learning and practice, and evaluates that practice. Nursing philosophy is as active picture of who we are, “what and how we know; and of what we do within the discipline” (Kikuchi & Simmons, 1994).Applying Nursing Theory Essay

A nurse’s philosophy consists of the principles and approaches towards life that the nurse upholds and how it affects her outlook on nursing practice. Philosophy leads the nurse to act in a particular way. Ernestine Wiedenbach is credited with developing the conceptual model of nursing called “The Helping Art of Clinical Nursing.” Wiedenbach theorized that there are three essential parts of nursing philosophy. The first is the respect for life; the second is value for the pride, worth, independence and distinctiveness of every person; and the third is promise to act on personally and professionally held convictions (Wiedenbach, 1964). Virginia Henderson, best known for her Definition of Nursing, believed that the nurse’s main purpose is to take care of patient’s needs and to assist them with day to day activities. These are activities that the patient’s would have been proficient in doing had they not been sick or debilitated (Castledine, 1996).

Many facets of nursing have changed since Florence Nightingale and Virginia Henderson’s era. However, the necessity for truly understanding about overall patient care remains the same. It is because of these nurses and their interest and concern for the theoretical and philosophical aspect of nursing, the nurses and providers today are able to treat their patient’s Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Alligood, M. R., & Tomey, A. M. (2010). Nursing theorists and their work. (7th ed.). Maryland

Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier.

Castledine, G. (1996). Castledine column. virginia henderson’s legacy. British Journal of

Nursing, 5(8), 517-517. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/ login.aspx?direct=true&db=c8h&AN=1996038732&site=ehost-live

Colley, S. (2003). Nursing theory: Its importance to practice. Nursing Standard, 17(46), 33.

Im, E., & Ju Chang, Sun. (2012). Current trends in nursing theories. Journal of Nursing

Scholarship, 44(2), 156-164. doi: 10.1111/j.1547-5069.2012.01440.x

Kikuchi, J.F., & Simmons, H. (1994). Developing a philosophy of nursing. Thousand Oaks, CA:

Sage.

Lauzon, S. (1995). Gortner’s contribution to nursing knowledge development. Journal of Nursing

Scholarship, 27(2), 100-103. doi: 10.1111/j.1547-5069.1995.tb00830.x

McEwen, M., & Wills, E. (2011). Theoretical basis for nursing (3rd ed.). Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Meleis, A.I.(2011). Theoretical nursing: Development and progress (5th Ed.). Philadelphia, PA:

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Parker, M. E. (2006). Nursing theories & nursing practice. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.

Weidenbach, E. (1964). Clinical nursing: A helping art. New York: Springer.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Nursing Theory is often defined as,” an organized framework of concepts and purposes designed to guide the practice of nursing” (Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing, 2012). Nursing theories can help patients, managers and other healthcare professionals to recognize what and how much that nurses do contribute to the healthcare field. I never did realize how important theories in nursing practice could be until I became a nursing student myself. Nurses use theories in their everyday practice, but never think about them as being responsible

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Summary of Nursing Theory
The Environment theory was formed when Nightingale found that the health institutions had poor sanitation, health workers had little education and training and were frequently incompetent and unreliable in attending to the needs of the patients. She stated in her nursing notes that nursing “is an act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery” (Nightingale, 1860). I selected this theory because it still plays a very important part in our nursing practice today. The purpose of this theory is that Nightingale believed that the environment could be altered to improve conditions so that the natural laws would allow healing to occur. These ideas grew from observations that poor or difficult environments led to poor health and disease. Nurses today still follow all of the appropriate safety protocols in order to protect healthcare workers as well as the patients from further infections. For example, nurses have personal protective equipment (PPE) that can be used according to protocols for protection as well as other safety procedures to follow.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Nursing is a difficult profession to hack, particularly in the absence of operational and/ or educational frameworks upon which to base decision making. Nursing theories are described as nursing models which represent reality in the theoretical realm. Through connection with the nursing theory, nursing practitioners, leaders and educators can effectively apply the proposed models and assertions towards improved quality of life for all the patients in the healthcare system. A wide range of nursing theories have been developed over the years by different authors and classified as either grand theories, middle range or practice theories (Hartweg, 1991). Each of these categories includes several theories that can be applied in a variety of nursing settings. For instance, Dorothea Orem proposed the Self Care Deficit theory as a grand theory to be used in all settings. The theory is based on the philosophy that all patients have the intrinsic desires to cater for their own needs and nurses can only assist through identifying the areas of deficit.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

This paper delves into the concept of self care deficit theory. The paper is structured such that it provides an overview of the importance of nursing theories in various areas of nursing. This is followed by a description of the particular nursing theory to be discussed and finally through the areas in which I have individually had an opportunity to engage in during my volunteer work.

Importance of nursing theory
Nursing models are explained by Eun-Ok and Ju (2012) as the simple ways of making explanations of complex phenomena in nursing. Nursing, especially practice is difficult to successfully carry out without any guiding practice principles and examples. Because of this, studying nursing theories at the degree level or at Master’s is essential for the development of nursing efficiency. While practice experience can be gained during service, it is impossible to gain theoretical knowledge in the field. Nursing theory is only accessible via a classroom setting where all the pertinent information can be provided. In addition to this, the range of nursing theories applicable in the profession today, demands that the practitioners and other nursing professionals be made aware of them. The only place where this can be done is through the master’s studies.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

According to a book by Masters (2011), nursing theories are also referred to as nursing models. The frameworks are constructed based on three key components. The nursing models have to include a statement of the specific nursing goals relating to a particular patient, setting of personal, organizational and general nursing values and beliefs upon which to base intervention and creation of awareness, skills and knowledge concerning the applications of nursing theories. The nursing theories developed subsequently have various importances with respect to the profession. First, when used in practice, nursing theory gives a plan for the practitioner to reflect during situational examinations. In this regard, nursing theory gives the practitioners a tentative outlook to particular problem situations.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Apart from this, nursing theory also provides the practitioners with an arrangement for investigating organizational management and for decision making. This makes it easier for the nursing professionals to make informed decisions regarding patient health. The third role played by nursing theory in practice is that it enables the nurses and other healthcare representatives to communicate freely based on common foundation between them. From these findings it can be deduced that nursing theory is an essential as well as critical part of nursing training and practice. Nursing theory can thus help to distinguish the nursing profession from other professions in healthcare as it gives a framework for the accomplishment of the roles that are specifically nursing aligned. Through providing an easy understanding of the complex phenomena, nursing theory enables nurses to comprehend their roles effectively in study, leadership as well as practice. Nursing theory makes the mandates of nursing profession clear enough and also makes it easy for nurses to adhere to the practice code of ethics in the nursing profession. Despite its roles and the distinguishing features of nursing theory, the use of nursing theory in practice still raises significant concern particularly on the ethical considerations of the aspect. While there are arguments that nursing theory helps nurses to accomplish roles, there is also the fear that the use of text book procedures and recommendations, particularly disease management cases may not be ethical (Masters, 2011). This makes it necessary to apply the theories with caution while paying regard to the effects of the theories on the patient perceptions.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Dorothea Orem’s Self Care deficit Theory
The self care deficit theory was published by Dorothea Orem between 1959 and 2001. The theory is among a series of other nursing theories developed by the same author which include the self care theory and nursing theory among others (Orem, 1991). The self care deficit theory is also referred to as Orem’s nursing model. It is constructed on the philosophical basis that all patients have the desire to take care of themselves even though they may not be able to do so. Although the self care deficit theory is a grand theory and relevant to a variety of nursing contexts, it most commonly finds use in nursing practice. It is therefore the responsibility of the nursing personnel to find ways through which the patients can be helped where they face deficits in caring for themselves. The self care deficit theory is centered on three key self care requisites which help the nursing practitioners to plan their actions accordingly.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

According to Orem and Taylor (2011), the self care requisites can be categorized as universal requisites, developmental self care requisites and health deviation requisites. These requisites are what guide the nursing practitioners on the course of actions to take in case any deficit is felt in any of the three key areas. The universal requisites include: maintaining balance between solitude and social interactions, air, water, food, activity and rest and hazard prevention. The developmental requisites on the other hand are requisites for maturation and situational requisites while the health deviation requisites are those that are possessed by patients as a result of the demands of their health conditions. These include requisites such as gaining access to health care and medication and living with the effects of diagnosis among other things (Hartweg, 1991). The self care deficit theory further provides three main intervention procedures for dealing with nursing problems in the work place. These include total compensation, partial compensation and educational supportive intervention.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Application to selected Practice Cases
I found the self care deficit theory most relevant in the clinical setting where I had to intervene in cases of chronic illness. During practice, I managed to apply the self care deficit theory to various cases. However, the most outstanding included the cases of a miscarriage and a HIV positive patient. In the first case, a patient, whom I will refer to using a code E, came into the facility with reported spotting. Being three months pregnant, the first instinct that came to mind was the probability that the patient was experiencing a spontaneous abortion. In trying to manage this issue, I tried to identify the possible areas of deficit after placing the patient on rest in an assigned bed. From the universal requisites, the most relevant to this context was the imbalance between activity and rest. The patient had been engaging in many roles which placed a lot of pressure on her and the unborn baby. As a result, she experienced contractions leading to the premature expulsion of the fetus from the uterus. The health deviation requisite conditions recognized included the need to access medical assistance and to deal with the impacts of her condition. I recommended flushing to wash out the remains of the fetus, to provide the necessary medical assistance and to provide counseling for the patient to deal with the aftermath of the miscarriage. As such, the deficits in self care were filled through partial compensation in the case of accessing medical care and recommending rest. Additionally, education and support was used in advising the patient concerning hope for a future conception.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

In the case of the patient with HIV, the same diagnostic procedure that describes the self care deficits was used. In this case, the support given was mainly educative. The HIV patient was mostly counseled on living positively and going for the necessary medication for the management of his condition. The partial compensation approach also proved to be beneficial in this case.Applying Nursing Theory Essay

Conclusion
Nursing theory is one of the greatest distinguishing factors of the nursing profession. The roles played by nursing theory in nursing leadership, education and practice. Through providing frameworks for the accomplishment of nursing objectives, theories set the profession apart and also help nurses to accomplish responsibilities marred with complexities. The self care deficit theory developed by Dorothea Orem is one of the many nursing theories in the world today. The theory is classified as a grand nursing theory and thus applicable in a wide range of contexts. In particular, nursing practice immensely applies Orem’s theory. I for instance, applied in several practice cases during my placement. The most outstanding of these applications were in cases of HIV and miscarriage. Applying Nursing Theory Essay