Nr501, Importance of Nursing Theory Paper

Nursing theories have been a fundamental tool used to explain, guide and improve the practice of nursing. Theorists have contributed enormously to the growth of nursing as a profession. The four grand theorists I chose are Virginia Henderson, Peplau, Myra Levine and Jean Watson. These theorists have contributed tremendously in the field of nursing through their theories, and research. One thing the theorists have in common is that they are patient centered. They are all concerned on ways we can improve our responsibility to the patients, their families and the environment. They have different ideas but they are all aiming towards achieving the same goal, which is patient satisfaction and safety. Their differences are in their areas of

The purpose of the nursing theories is to provide an interrelating framework focusing on the nursing practice. The defined nursing theories promote better patient care, improve the status of nursing profession, and improve the communication between the nurses, and provide guidance to the researches and education (Keefe, 2011). Not all nursing theories have the same meanings; however, they play the important role of explaining the key concepts and principles of nursing practice in understanding way.

Theory is an attempt to explain the world around us. It is defined as a set of concepts, definitions, and propositions that projects a view of phenomena by designating specific interrelationships among concepts for purposes of describing, explaining and predicting phenomena. In the world of healthcare the nurse through the understanding of theories attempt to explain why nurses do what they do. Nursing theories are the creative products of nurses who seek to thoughtfully describe relationships and interactions that exist within nursing practice (Ingram, 2009).

Theories have been the method by which nurse leaders have defined nursing science. Through the diverse bodies of information nurses have given the profession its own practice regulation(s) to institute nursing as a profession. Theories are a set of interrelated concepts that are explanatory and predictive in nature. The concepts are a way of seeing nursing and human events and how they influence each individual’s personal values (George, 2011). Theories are derived by deduction and inductive reasoning. Evaluation of nursing theory has yielded four core conceptual metaparadigm; person, health, environment, and nursing.

A nurse is a person who had been educated with skill, knowledge and qualified in taking care of the sick and disabled. Many theorists now have come to concede on the vital factors of ‘nursing’ as conceptualizing practice by ‘nurses’ of nurturing for people in need of care to accomplish particular objective of ‘health’ within a given situation (Hall and Ritchie, 2010). According to Orr (1977), nursing is being a professional worker and making use of the tools of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation, so that nursing care is not a ‘trial and error’ approach but a realistic measure built to diagnose each patient’s requirement.

Nursing theory gathers specific information regarding aspects of nursing and utilizes these findings to communicate and describe nursing phenomena. Theories provide a framework for nursing practice and processes. Grand nursing theories are broadest in scope and provide generalizations regarding nursing situations. Grand nursing theories consist of four schools of thought. Nursing theorists bring a unique definition, approach, and focus to these specific schools of thought.

Nursing theory provides a resourceful and demanding organization of philosophies that venture a universal observation of care. By applying nursing theory in our daily care, nurses grow understanding pertinent to humanizing patients’ health condition. The four categories from the most abstract to the most specific are Metatheory, grand theory, middle range theory, and practice theory.

The importance of nursing science grounded in nursing theory is that the knowledge base for the discipline of nursing is drawn from nursing theories. Nursing theories serve as the foundation from which nurses use to guide, describe, predict, and generate further knowledge to be applied in nursing practice to help guide everyday nurses and research to help nurses understand and move forward in the development of theoretical knowledge and education (Smith & Parker, 2015).

Theory evaluation is necessary in our discipline to contribute nursing knowledge, understand the context in which the knowledge gained was produced, to direct nursing practice, to assure theories guide beneficial and promising outcomes, and to assure theories are applicable to the world of nursing and nursing care. Although all of the theory evaluations in chapter 5 have the similar criteria for analysis, I appreciate the criteria established by Walker and Avant. Walker and Avant clearly define their categories of analysis: origins, meaning (concept identification; conceptual and operational definitions), logical adequacy (proper context; predictive ability), usefulness (practical application; increasing knowledge; predictability), generalizability,

Theory, what is a theory? According to Blais & Hayes, (2011) “A theory is a supposition or idea that is proposed to explain a given phenomenon. Theories differ in their scope and have been categorized in different ways. One of those categorizations schemes divide them into categories according to scope, using philosophy models, grand theories, and middle range theories” (Blais & Hayes, 2011, p. 98). A philosophical scope is the broadest scope and looks at nature of things and how they relate to one another to provide meaning that can be applied to a situation (Blais & Hayes, 2011). In the history of nursing Theories have been used throughout time to explain phenomena in nursing and with the integration of nursing theories into practice demonstrating a pathway for introducing a paradigm shift into the science of nursing.

Nursing theories are an important part of the nursing profession. The development of nursing theories started with Florence Nightingale decades ago. The development of nursing theories is important to the nursing profession because it shows that nursing is a science that has to be learned for patients to receive the best care (cite). Additionally, the development of nursing theories is important to the profession of nursing because researchers use theories to test if the research he or she has done is valid and applies to nursing (cite). Also, nursing theories guides how each individual nurse practices because nurses and hospitals pick theories that they think best suit the types of patients they care for and follow that theory to provide care

A theory is a notion or an idea that explains experience, interprets observation, describes relationships, and projects outcomes (Smith & Parker, 2015, p. 6). Nursing theories point out the incidences important to nursing, individuals, wellbeing, and minding with regards to the nurse/patient relationship. Engagement by and by creates the thoughts that quickens the advancement of nursing theories. Situation-specific theories are so firmly lined up with practice that one may feel they are the most beneficial to nursing care. Middle range theories are more extensive than situation- specific theories, but have more controlled degree and less discussion than grand theories. Grand theories have the broadest degree and present general ideas and suggestions.

In nursing there are theories that determine how the profession is going to be handled. Scholars and other practitioners of medicines have proved these theories. In our case we will be looking how these theories are applicable in the entire world of nursing medicine. What are nursing theories? Nursing theories are theories that describe, develop, and provides on how nursing profession should be carried out. These theories provide information on how or on the ground on how the terms of nursing terms can be defined and even touches on how principles of nursing and how the basis of

Nursing is someone who saves lives, monitor patients with a holistic approach and being a patient advocate. According to (Petiprin, 2015) “Nursing theory is an organized framework of concepts and purposes designed to guide the practice of nursing.” The statement means that nursing theory is developed to understand the nursing care, guide nursing practice and offer a foundation for clinical decision-making. There are so many theorists who were inspired by the works of other theorist that they join part of their works into their own. Therefore, using the theories in the nursing practice helps to fit the situation they come across to serve and offer the care in every patient. This essay will be on the theorist Virginia Henderson who was often

Nursing theories are actions/care that a nurse provides to a patient to prevent a sickness, maintain and promote health. Most of these theories has clear goals to the nursing practice. They guide and give nursing a clear path on how we should practice and provide high quality of care to patients.in the table below I will discuss Compare and contrast, theorist from their Educational background Philosophy of nursing Definition of nursing Goal/purpose of theory