Metaparadigm Theory

For centuries the development of nursing knowledge has been influenced by numerous theorists and their respective theories. These theories have influenced, and continue to influence, nursing education, practice and research. (Johnson & Webber, 2005)

Theory is an arrangement of thoughts meant to describe something. These thoughts and ideas usually have basic principles that validate the purpose of the proposed theory. Nursing theory is a well thought out scholarly structure of concepts. These concepts are created to help guide nursing practice. They explain the fundamentals of nursing care. Multiple clinical decisions are based upon nursing theories. There are many different types of nursing theories developed primarily by nurses. Nursing theorist’s main goal is to examine nursing practice and explain the working or non-working parts

70). This definition begins a departure from the Logical Positivistic Received View, in that it does not emphasize the structure of the theory. According to Meleis (1985) this definition of theory exemplifies the multiple usageof theory, an important issue in dealing with nursing practice, research, education and administration. The definition for use here is one adapted from Meleis (1985) and states that a nursing theory is a conceptualization of phenomena and relationships in or pertaining to nursing for the purpose of describing, explaining, predicting and/or prescribing nursing care. Many of the definitions of nursing theory proposed in the 1960s and ’70s derived their definitions from psychology and the social sciences.Nursing theories, according to Meleis (1985) “evolve from extant nursing reality as seenthrough the mind of a theorist who is influenced by certain historical and philosophical processesor events” (p. 29). Theory is not only a tool for the development of research propositions but is also a goal, in which findings becomemore meaningful (Meleis, 1985). One problem in nursing has been the lack of agreement on the definition of theory. Many authors have used the term theory as interchangeable with such terms as conceptual framework, conceptual model, model, and paradigm. Fawcett (1989) clearly states that “conceptual models and theories are clearly distinguished by their

The nursing metaparadigm concepts described by Fawcett (as cited in McEwen & Willis, 2011), are a primary phenomena of interest to a discipline, which identifies globally by ways in which, nursing can deal with those phenomena in a distinctive and applicable manner. The functional aspects of the meta-paradigm according to Kim (as cited in McEwen & Willis, 2011), involve a combination of intellectual and

The purpose of this paper is to explore the personal nursing philosophy I intend to use in my career as a nurse and to explore my values and beliefs about the four metaparadigms – the patient, the nursing practice, their health and the environment, and the discipline of nursing in addition to discussing the nursing concepts relevant to my practice as a nurse practitioner. This paper also discusses the nurse of the future and the Synergy model definitions of the four metaparadigms and how they fit into my personal philosophy.

Nursing has developed into a profession, in which many theories have been developed and presented in order to lend guidance for purposeful and meaningful practice. In general, nursing theories are based on four concepts that collectively make up the nursing metaparadigm: person, environment, health, and nursing. These four concepts represent a commonality in the nursing profession (Tourville & Ingalls, 2003). This paper will

The purpose of this paper is to discuss my personal beliefs pertaining to the profession of nursing. As well I will discuss the (4) metaparadigms in nursing which are known as; human beings, environment, health, and nursing, and my personal beliefs on these concepts and how they have similarities to the nursing philosophy of a nursing theorist.

A metaparadigms in nursing carefully act like a solid spine that support as a base rock the nursing field. The four essentials components of metaparadigms in nursing are the person, the environment, the patient’s health status and the nursing practice. A nurse practitioner will use all this concepts to assist in advance critical thinking skills by assessing the needs of individual and families while developing a quality cost-effective health promotion and illness prevention care plans.

A metaparadigm is a concept that is extremely general, one that serves to define an entire world of thought. The metaparadigm of nursing is comprised of four parts: person, health, nursing and environment. This concept is important to nursing theory, because those are the key areas of focus when it comes to patient care. In this metaparadigm, the ‘person’ can refer to the patient, the patient’s family members, friends, communities, and groups. The nurse’s goal when dealing with the ‘person’ is to nurture the patient and empower him or her to manage their own health to the best of their abilities. The next part of the metaparadigm is ‘health’. It generally addresses the person’s state of well-being and their availability to healthcare. The other metaparadigm ‘environment’ includes factors that affect individuals internally and externally. A positive therapeutic interaction creates an environment that is essential for patient recovery. The final concept in the metaparadigm of nursing is ‘nursing’. In general, this refers to any hands-on medical treatment from nurse to patient.

Some researchers have suggested that other concepts should be added to the nursing metaparadigm. For

Concept analysis and concept development are the terms used to refer to the process of bringing clarity to the definition of the concepts used in nursing science. They are generally applied to the process of inquiry that examines concepts for their level of development as seen in their internal structure, use, representativeness, and relationship to other concepts, in the quest to promote better understanding. Much of the conceptual basis of nursing theory has been derived from already established concepts from other disciplines, and a re-examination of these concepts for relevance and fit to nursing, is important for determining its appropriateness of application (McEwen, 2007).

Masters (2012) described that philosophies “set forth the general meaning of nursing and nursing phenomena through reasoning and the logical presentation of ideas” (p. 49). The mind-map provided presents the personal philosophy of this author’s nursing practice in relation to the four concepts of the metaparadigm of nursing. The compatibility of this author’s personal philosophy with existing

The metaparadigm has four central concepts to the discipline of nursing and they are interrelated although they have different meanings. They are:

Theory is a cluster of concept or ideas that propose a view concerning a phenomenon to guide nursing practice (Chitty, 2005). The four concepts basic to nursing that are incorporated in this paper are nursing, person, health, and environment (Cherry & Jacob, 2005). The goal of this paper is to describe the core concept of nursing shared amongst Dorothea Orem and Virginia Henderson’s theories. The comparison and analysis of concept definitions between these two theories will also examined. Finally Henderson’s theory of concept statement, metaparadigm and her philosophy will be explored.

Nursing theories, concepts or models are adapted from the theoretical frameworks of other discipline in healthcare. However, as nursing advances, new frameworks may arise, the nursing theories, concepts or models from the past or present may fuse, extinct or change donaldson (year). Hence, nursing is a discipline which is consistently reviewing and upgrading its theoretical frame works to provide the best quality of care to patients. (https://www.jacksonvilleu.com/blog/nursing/the-importance-of-nursing-research/)